


Slow Weeds Make Haste to Flowey

by SorrowSeye



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Lets hope this isnt a trainwreck, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Undertale Genocide Route, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-01-30 08:42:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 31,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21425386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SorrowSeye/pseuds/SorrowSeye
Summary: Edit: Not happy with this any more. Just want to get that out of the way because I'm not a fan of orphaning works but this also doesn't reflect how I think/write currently.It is time to let go of those cycles, time to let go of the loops that, while still remarkable, have lost their novelty. More specifically, it's time for Frisk to try their hand at a normal life, and let the monsters of the underground settle once and for all.But a pair of siblings might make that plan a little more difficult. They don't have the privilege of peace, so staying serene when one of those two are trapped in your mind? Not happening. Now it's up to Frisk to free them of their turmoil. After all...Doesn't everyone deserve a happy ending?
Comments: 13
Kudos: 36





	1. But not too not familiar

The sunrise was so familiar that the voice had no desire to narrate it. They had lacked the desire many, many times now. Frisk enjoyed it, either way. The sun was so intense that the lake in the distance turned to lava, the trees to flames, the buildings to bonfires. The voice thought that Frisk's description was too extravagant for the sight before them, but they were never one for metaphors. They were never one for the surface.

The gathered monsters, on the other hand, were very pleased at the idea of living amongst sunlight and starlight and humans. They had subconsciously grown accustomed to the sight, too; Papyrus hadn't even needed to ask about the 'giant ball' in the sky. It was a slow sign of change, but not exactly a wanted one. As much as they hated deceiving everyone, resetting and loading saves was an ability better kept secret (or, mostly secret), and said power becoming neighborly meant that they would have to try something new.

'I think we're done.' they thought to themselves and to the voice alike.

**'So you're out of determination, hm?'** the voice answered. Frisk had gotten used to that, too. Most would be called insane for having a nagging, sarcastic, sometimes-murderous voice in their head (in fact, Frisk had heard that comment when they revealed it in previous timelines), but they _literally_ couldn't live without it.

When Frisk had fallen all the way down Mt. Ebott, they died. Of course they did; nobody could realistically survive a fall like that. Fortunately for them, there was someone waiting to revive them. 

When Chara had fallen, there were many more plants and flowers to slow their descent. They had gotten away with a few broken bones (promptly healed by Toriel), and shortly after that, they were adopted by the royal family. And then, a few years later, they died. Then they didn't. Somehow, out of pure determination, Chara survived for years and years and years- just a lost soul, resting unseen in a bed of flowers while six other humans fell and each came to their demises.

Frisk awoke them because they, too, had determination. Frisk had a feeling that their motives were very different, though they had not managed to get a direct explanation out of Chara.

'We'll find a way to save your brother, eventually; but I think everyone else deserves a shot at surface life. One that doesn't end with them stuck back where they started.' Frisk half-lied. Morality and kindness weren't their only concerns. There was also the fact that nothing they did underground was new anymore- which meant that they had also tried every plot and ploy they could think of to save Asriel, and only the unknown future could hold any hope at this point.

**'I don't _care_ about Flowey.'** Chara said, which Frisk found doubtful. 

"What will you do now?" Toriel snapped Frisk out of their brain-conversation with her expectant, almost desperate tone. Frisk didn't even hesitate. They let Toriel know, with confidence, that they wanted to stay with her. Toriel beamed at this, visibly relaxing. She wasn't surprised, like some of the older timelines. 

"Frisk... you really are a funny child." 

And Frisk could recite every single word after that up until Toriel took their hand, so, unintentionally, they tuned out the meaning and enjoyed the sound instead.


	2. Oustanding member of society

If Frisk thought something clearly and intentionally, Chara would hear it like speaking. The same applied vice versa, except that Chara particularly enjoyed projecting memories. Every single night. In the form of what could be best described as horrifically realistic nightmares.

Chara wasn't picky, either. If Frisk had so much as raised a knife in another timeline, it would be an important occasion that was showed off like a disgusting sin. In the end, it basically was. When Frisk was underground, they somehow got themselves into the routine of finding excuses for killing- but murder was murder, and there was no justifying that. Both of the fallen children knew that, and that only made the guilt upon Frisk's shoulders worse.

Frisk was recovering from watching Toriel turn to dust before their eyes. They were sitting up, leaning against the headboard of their bed, gaze tilted ever-so-slightly toward the ceiling. They were breathing, slowly but surely, and reminding themselves that they were only dreaming; that version of them was already months (and several resets- though they couldn't measure those in terms of time-) away. That was good. That was progress.

**'You're so quick to let yourself go. You were always too forgiving.'** Chara said softly, though volume couldn't really change in someone's thoughts. There was only a lack of harshness, really, and said lack coming from Chara was not as comforting as implied.

'I haven't forgiven myself.' Frisk reassured in full honesty. Chara was unconvinced.

**'Then why are you still here.'** was a question often brought up. Chara's priority was to go back, to reset, to **'stop wasting your time.'**

'I'm not wasting my time. I'm giving _them_ time. They're happy.' Frisk explained, and they couldn't see how Chara was so bent on hating this pacifistic ending.

**'Happy? Among greedy people who could kill them just like that?'** Frisk was sure that Chara would snap their fingers for emphasis, if they still had a corporeal form.

'Humans don't have magic anymore.' Frisk pointed out. 

**'You're a child, and you've killed everyone countless times.'** Chara retorted. Frisk stared at the ceiling, falling silent. They didn't feel like saying anything further, but Chara would grow impatient. They would see this as a win.

'I've had more chances than any other human ever will.' they thought in a tone that clearly implied the conversation's end. Chara was not happy, and Frisk could feel it as if it were their own emotion. Chara was never happy, and Frisk always felt it.

***

"I am so glad you could join me!" Papyrus was rarely not-glad, but he was definitely genuine. He was driving his shined red sports car with Frisk in the passenger seat, Frisk's new bike in the back, and they were making their way to the city's convention center for a speech that Papyrus was to give.

When offered the choice, Frisk had outright refused to be the Ambassador of the monsters- and Papyrus had eventually given up the role as well when he realized it mostly involved smiling and shaking hands and paperwork. He was very good at most of those things, but insisted he wanted to play a more active role in the integration of monsters; and so had taken over as head of a monster-human activist group.

In a surprising turn of events, Greater Dog became the ambassador. He won over crowds with ease, and had shockingly good handwriting. Chara was furious when it was confirmed, which Frisk thought was very funny.

By the time they rolled up to the building, Papyrus was practically bouncing in his seat. The HM group turned out to be a very good thing for him; he rarely talked himself up anymore, and had a much more reasonable response to criticism (as in, he actually acknowledged it).

The two entered the building and headed for the reserved room, and then Papyrus left Frisk's side to take his place on the small stage. Frisk took their seat in the back row.

Some eyes were turned to them, and some people were subtly taking photos. Emphasis on people; most of the monsters were accustomed to Frisk, but there would always be stares from new human members of the group. It was to be expected.

**'You shouldn't have to expect stuff like that. But, of course, this is humans we're talking about.'** Chara remarked snidely. Frisk refused to give them the time of day and ruin their good mood.

"It is I, The Great Papyrus!" the cheap red curtains swung open to reveal the skeleton in a rather dramatic pose, earning a few chuckles and cheers because Papyrus was iconic, "Thank you all for coming today! The surface wouldn't be such a wonderful place without you all working hard to make it that way! And of course, none of this would be possible at all, if not for my very good friend, Frisk!" Papyrus gestured to Frisk, who waved peacefully at the small crowd. A few people waved back, and some greeted them.

"They are the one who let all the monsters out of the underground." Papyrus clarified. Frisk smiled sheepishly; he meant the best, but not everyone was as eager for spotlight as he.

"That aside- I am very impressed with the progress we have made! The surface is truly getting friendlier each day, so keep on believing in yourselves and society's ability to change for the better! Give yourselves a pat on the back!" the group obeyed good-naturedly.

"I thought the city could benefit from some physical tidying up, so our task for today is to collect litter. We'll drive downtown and split up there, and Frisk will be sending messages between us on their bicycle." he said. Frisk themself was a bit surprised by this task, but they found no trouble in doing community service. 

They had helped out before, and this was sure to be fun. They ended up being right, for the most part.

The weather got worse as the day carried on, all gray skies and unpleasantly sharp wind, but the HM group was persistent. From afternoon to evening, for several continuous hours, they picked up trash and put them in garbage bags. Frisk brought everyone water by way of bike, and made sure they were all doing okay. Papyrus would sprint to the individual partners when Frisk reported a filled bag, grabbing them and putting them in the back of his car to be disposed of later. He never failed in the energy department, but the other humans and monsters were not so gifted.

"Thanks Frisk, I'm parched." Shiela, one of the humans, said.

"I'm not feeling good either. Has Papyrus decided when we're packing up yet?" Loox asked. Shiela became alert, clearly wondering the same thing.

**'They were just waiting for a chance to get out of working.'**

Frisk frowned; they had heard several complaints now, and their own legs were starting to tire; biking was faster than walking, but not necessarily easier.

**'And you're looking for an easy way out, too.'**

Frisk held up their index finger as if telling the partnered volunteers that they would soon return with an answer to their question. They took off, back down the side-walk and towards Papyrus' designated clean-up area. 

'People get tired, you know.' Frisk thought to Chara, exhausted and annoyed with their constant talking-down of Frisk and a good chunk of the general population.

**'Yeah, they get tired, and then they give up. Take you, for example; it's been months, and you haven't reset yet.'** Chara phrased Frisk's achievement as if it was one of the worst realities to exist. Frisk gripped the handlebars, absently pressing their palms into the rough plastic.

'I didn't give up. I'm persevering, by staying in this timeline.' they defended themselves, a sharpness to their thoughts. Then Chara laughed. It was ingenuine, purposefully high, loud, and bitter, and it succeeded in putting Frisk on-edge. Their hands began to bleed lightly, their leg muscles began to cramp with their furious pedaling, and their indignation silenced them.

"Frisk! That was fast!" Frisk skidded to a bumpy halt, surprised to have already reached Papyrus. He had two garbage bags tied smartly to his waist, and was carrying a third one. He didn't stop cleaning to look at them. Frisk waved a greeting.

"When will we be done?" they asked, their voice dry and naturally quiet. Papyrus frowned, but he continued picking trash up with a dainty grasp.

"It seems a bit early. Are you tired?" he wondered, faintly concerned. Frisk mirrored his frown.

"People asked." they said. They were uncomfortable using the term 'people', but nobody had come up with a catch-all term for humans and monsters yet.

"Ah, well, they are doing very good work! I am sure they can last a little longer!" he reverted back to his beloved grin, but Frisk was not at all reassured.

**'He agrees with me.'**

"No."

"Pardon?" Papyrus held a gloved hand to the place where his ear should be, finally stopping his work to hear Frisk better. Frisk opened their mouth to speak, slightly flustered, then thought about their unintentional sentence and rephrased it.

"They're tired." they said. Papyrus made an 'oh' gesture, waved them off, and went right on back to the garbage.

"A little exercise never hurt anyone! Individuals such as ourselves must be determined in our particular profession if we are to achieve our dreams!" he said importantly.

**'Translation; they're giving up and that's _bad._'**

"Papyrus!" though they had still barely raised their voice, Frisk's tone was like a blade- Papyrus stiffened and set down the bag completely, giving Frisk his full attention. But Frisk had nothing else to say. Papyrus stared at them with an unsure expression.

Then that expression turned to understanding, mixed with misplaced guilt. Papyrus had nothing to be guilty for, he was just a little more athletic than others. Frisk's shoulders drooped as he prepared himself to speak again.

"I am sorry, Frisk. It has been a long day, and you are right; everyone has helped out with more than their fair share. Tell them they may go home for the day." he smiled warmly, making Frisk's shoulders sag even further. They rubbed their arms awkwardly, confused on what to do, before apologizing.

"Sorry." Frisk felt Chara's sudden buzz of frustration at the apology, but they felt it was the right thing to do. They hadn't meant to yell.

"It is quite alright! Thank you for helping out today!" the smile widened itself on Papyrus' face. Frisk hoped they looked as happy, though they were too caught up in the escape of their anger and how it had been misdirected to someone who didn't deserve it. They pushed the bike back into a ready position and left to tell the others to pack up.

***

The sun had almost dipped fully underneath the horizon, and Frisk was sitting at the desk beside their window, wide awake. Chara was mostly quiet when they had returned home, but Frisk was still frustrated with the earlier mishap.

The feeling was only strengthened when Papyrus rolled past their house with his car filled from seat-to-trunk with garbage bags, evidently having just finished his excursion. He enjoyed what he did, but Frisk still felt horrible that he was cleaning up all by himself for the last few hours.

'I can't believe I did that.' the thought wasn't directed at Chara, but it was a particularly loud one.

**'You can't believe you got angry?'**

'At the wrong monster. At Papyrus.' Frisk dragged their hands over their face and through their hair, letting out a long breath of air before burying their head in their arms.

**'It happens to the best of us.'** was said in a mockingly sweet manner.

'You made me snap.' Frisk thought bitterly. This seemed to startle Chara. The back and forth arguing and degrading halted for silence, though it wasn't as comforting as quiet breaks usually were. Frisk felt a second-hand sadistic emotion, rage and wicked excitement building up. It was unsettling.

**'I can control you when you've gained EXP, but, sad as it is, you haven't killed anyone.'** Chara hissed, then they shifted to a more serious note, vaguely threatening, **'So let's get one thing straight.'** Frisk tensed. Chara couldn't really do anything what with Frisk's murders being far in the past, but they were clearly angry.

**'I can't _'make'_ you do anything.'**


	3. Curiosi-tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignoring my previous note: Update schedule (for now) will probably be Sunday+Monday+Tuesday/Sunday+Tuesday.

Frisk had never gotten as much sleep in theoretical years as they did in the week following their argument with Papyrus and Chara- not because they felt no shame, but because Chara hadn't 'spoken' to Frisk at all within that time frame. 

Frisk should have felt nervous, but it was a rare opportunity. Nobody voicing their inner anxieties, nobody criticizing their every move, nobody taking every chance they could to trash-talk their civilization. Frisk could go to school and help the other kids in class, could enjoy the warmth of the sun on their walk home, could remind themselves of why they were here, on the surface, living a new life in a new way.

It was peaceful.

When Frisk went to visit Asgore on the weekend, Chara's patience ran thin.

"I take it you have been resting well?" Asgore asked, an amused glimmer in his eyes as he watched Frisk weave a Dandelion flower-crown with energy and grace. They were in Asgore's backyard, where a garden had been generously planted with expertise, and they were helping the king pick weeds from the dirt. They nodded cheerfully.

"I am glad to hear that- you are being very helpful today. Not to say that you were not before." he smiled. Asgore pushed himself to his feet and brushed his Hawaiian shirt off,

"I am going to go prepare us some tea." he said. Frisk gave him a quick thumbs up, then continued weaving their crown. 

It was Chara who had first taught Frisk how to make them, patiently, during the first few runs- it had only taken about ten cycles, but Frisk had eventually mastered the craft. Asgore seemed to like them, too.

He returned soon after with two steaming cups of tea, smelling of spicy ginger and sweet peaches. He handed one to Frisk and sat himself once again onto the ground.

"I am sorry to take up our time with chores like this, but the weeds have been persistent recently," he took a sip of tea, set it on his lap, and turned to the garden thoughtfully, "I need to keep the garden clear for a shipment of flowers."

Frisk stopped weaving. They drank briefly out of their cup, letting the silence drift between them, waiting for Asgore to start speaking again. Frisk had learned that if you let a conversation pause long enough, people would eventually fill the awkward gap with any information floating around their head. Asgore was always patient, but he had interesting things to say if you could wait him out. The breeze was pleasant.

"I thought I could find golden flowers on the surface, but the city does not keep them in stock at all. It is strange that a flower so resilient in all weathers is so difficult to acquire." Asgore finally spoke. A part of Frisk had been expecting something along those lines, but it was still surprising to hear; golden flowers were such a common occurrence in the underground that Frisk basically grew to ignore them, and often forgot they were essentially endangered on the surface. Asgore's complaints about missing golden flower tea was one of the few reminders.

"It had been so busy in the first few months- though I am sure you do not need reminding- that my goals slipped my mind." a stop, another sip, "I went back to the entrance last week, and the opening is covered with vines. The entire place is overgrown. I fear it would be dangerous to go back in without a plan to clear the mountain up." he said. 

Frisk dropped the cup and waited for a crash, but soon realised that it had fallen on smooth earth. The last portion of tea dripped out pathetically.

"Sad, I know. Do not worry, I am sure we will clear Ebott in no time, I am just a little too busy to organize a weeding party right now." he smiled apologetically. Frisk's mouth was dry.

**'Looks like the 'flowers' took over the underground.'** Chara said softly, with a wry, un-kind tone. Frisk jumped, their soul pounding with panic in their chest, their ears whistling at the sudden noise. It was far from fun, suddenly having a voice in your head after not having it for a great amount of time.

"Is there something else bothering you?" Asgore reached forward, but Frisk waved him off. He drew back, paternal concern still on his expression.

**'If _I'm_ restless, imagine how _he_ feels?'** Chara mused, genuine interest replacing what would usually be malice. Frisk swallowed hard, feeling horrible but finding it better not to dwell on the question.

"Your children?" Frisk asked, met by a wave of pure hatred and outrage from Chara. They did not, however, object; whether from fear, inability to stop anything, or delusional anger was unclear.

"My- My children?" Asgore stammered, "Now what on earth could be concerning you about my children?"

Frisk stared blankly; though the question was backed by real curiosity, it had simply been the first distracting thought to cross their mind. Asgore shook his head.

"Well, I suppose I cannot blame you for being curious. Do you want me to tell you about them, then?" he asked. Frisk nodded slowly, their head still drumming from Chara's protests. Frisk, under their breath, urged Asgore to continue so that they could be distracted from the discomfort. He looked too tired, too old for his age- if that was even possible for someone who was, supposedly, un-aging.

"The underground was growing restless. Our son had been been a ray of hope for Ebott, but that _hope_ grew more distant as _he_ grew older. With that age came a desire for exploration.

He was always wandering off places- I think he liked to prove to himself that he was independent, because some of the other monster children called him a mommy's boy. He was, but he was also the kindest monster I ever had the pleasure of knowing. His mommy loved him very much.

Anyhow, a particular endeavor of his was to look around the entrance of the mountain for a fallen human. He liked to make-believe that he had captured seven souls and had become a god, a savior to free us all from the mountain. When he _did_ find a human, though, he brought it safely to us. We had all been faced with new opportunities on that day, but none of us had the strength to end the human. I am glad that we did not." 

Frisk knew that Asgore was among one of the monsters with the most remorse, the biggest desire to have chosen a different path, and they knew that the words he spoke were certain.

"It was clear the human child was unhappy, though they seemed most comfortable when ignoring their past and playing with my son. I am aware that was only fair; my son was the first face they saw." Asgore chuckled wistfully, "He stayed by their bedside for days. We tried to pry him off, but he would not budge until they woke up."

Frisk knew the general story, but had never heard it in this much detail, from a point of view that was this personal. Why hadn't they asked about it before? Maybe Asgore wouldn't have talked about it before. Maybe he would have needed more time to heal.

"That loyalty was frequently his downfall. We caught him taking the blame, once in a while, for the human. We refused to get angry at them though, because they didn't seem to know better. I still wonder what led them to climb Mount Ebott." he sighed, then his eyes seemed to practically light up, like he had discovered something. He turned his sight to Frisk, bewildered.

"I have just realised that I do not know your motives, either. Odd." he said. Frisk frowned and pulled at the collar of their shirt. Whether their reasons be good or bad, they felt like it was not something to be shared quite yet. Asgore looked vaguely disappointed, but he nodded.

"I won't pry. As I was saying, they got in trouble quite often. Other than those pranks though, they were politely muted and knew what to do when more serious occasions arose. In many ways, I could see them as a leader: calculating, somber, determined." he dragged a hand over his face, his eyes shining with tears. He didn't outright cry, because a king never cried in front of others, but he was sad. Chara was angry. Frisk was understanding.

"I think the thing I will remember the most... Is their laugh." he whispered. Chara's projected emotions faded entirely, making Frisk wonder if they had been touched by Asgore's words- or else had grown despondent.

"Their laughs were rare, but they were true. Those laughs... were giddy and sneaky, and they always put a hand over their mouth. It was sweet. I wish we had seen their smile more often, before..." he cleared his throat, "Well, you know."

Frisk did know. They had heard the piece of history hundreds of times, of how the prince had absorbed Chara's soul and had traveled to the surface, only to be beaten down and forced to retreat. Hearing the story made the grey capital hall seem altogether shorter and longer.

Chara was always hushed during that.

***  
Frisk was lying in bed, this time in Asgore's house. They had ended the conversation by reminiscing about the underground, and then they went inside for lunch. Asgore was wearing the flower crown when he wished Frisk a good night.

"I'm sorry." they said, hushed.

**'Stop. Shut up.'**

"I should've asked something else. Too personal. Right?" 

**'I don't want to talk to you.'**

Frisk sat up.

"To someone else? Dad?"

**'Nice try. They haven't believed you before when you told them you have voices in your head. They won't now.' **

"Negative."

**'Well, it's a gift.'**

Frisk sighed and stared pointlessly into the dark of the room, tired from the uncertainty of knowing everything and now having to deal with the future. They scanned the familiar sights, a room modeled after those in the underground. A tall wardrobe with shaved corners, a window with curtains that swayed comfortingly by the tug of the breeze, a bouquet placed expertly into a humble clay vase.

"Flowey?"

**'Oh, yes, seems like he had a lot of time to think down there. We should pay him a visit.'**

"No."

**'And why not?'**

Frisk shut their eyes now, gathering strength. They didn't like talking, and projecting precise thoughts was difficult, and so speaking with Chara was always a struggle. They would have to change to thoughts, though, if they wanted to explain anything.

'If we go down there, I might get hurt. I can't risk another reset, now that we've come so far. We'll wait for dad's party to... De-weed.'

**'And you think they really stand a better chance? They would be going in blind, unlike you.'**

'I'm not going down there unless I have a very good reason to. Everyone is happy now. I'm happy, Chara. '

**'Are you?'**

They were challenging Frisk- it was not a question born from sympathy of any kind, just the need to get under their skin.

'Yes. But you're not, and I wish you would be. What is it, what will make you happy?'

**'I'll be happy when the humans are gone.'**

'That won't help anyone, you should know that.'

Chara was unconvinced, evidently more than prepared to argue. Frisk wanted to ask how often they thought about this, and whether it was really the cause for the constant indignation they always felt.

**'If we kill the humans, mo- the king and queen won't have to fight over morality.'**

'It will just cause another pointless war.'

**'So what? Undyne will finally have her glorious battle. Papyrus will finally be part of a royal guard that still has a purpose.'**

Frisk felt like screaming at Chara, like holding them by the throat and making them see that the glass was half full, the glass was never empty, they were the only one hanging onto the past, people could change, why did they have to be so sad, why did they have to drag everyone down with them, why,

'Why are you so bent on destroying humanity?' Frisk said. There was silence, serenity, followed by a headache so intense and furious that Frisk had to lie back down. They thought for a moment that their head might explode, before the feeling subsided and Chara started thinking to Frisk in a tone that purposefully sounded like it was being pushed through gritted teeth.

**'When I first woke up in the underground, I was scared. Not because of the way monsters looked, not because of new surroundings, not even because of warnings and stories- but because I thought that anything able to scare the horrible human race must be terrifying.'** Frisk was surprised to learn that Chara could be threatened at all, but then, they were still only a child.

**'Do you know what happened next? They were more kind to me than any person had ever been. Do you understand what I'm saying? Humans threw the innocent monsters underground and named them villains.'** Frisk felt sick; they _had_ experienced the significant difference in monster and human behavior. 

**'And still, they do not understand their mistakes.  
Humans do not know justice. Humans do not know pain.'**


	4. Everyone's a critic

Alphys' and Undyne's place was a strange mix of plain walls, loudly-colored furniture, stacks of books and diagrams and actions figures, and various weapons and sports equipment. The only things that really tied the contrast together was Undyne's fancy Grand Piano, plus the consistent mess. A very, very consistent mess, created by Undyne's rambunctiousness and Alphys' general lack of self care.

Popcorn bowls were passed out evenly among the group. Frisk was leaning against Toriel's shoulder, Sans looked to be sleeping on the opposite side of the couch, and Undyne was sitting on the backrest with her legs wrapped around Alphys, who was directly in the middle of the cluster. Asgore was on the floor as he couldn't fit on the couch, and Papyrus had volunteered to join him.

"O-Okay, is everyone comfortable?" Alphys asked, "S-Sorry if it's a bit stuffed, we- we should p-probably get some more cushions or something-" 

"Stop apologizing and START THIS THING ALREADY!" Undyne hollered lovingly. Alphys giggled despite herself, which made most attendees smile.

"Haven't you seen this already?" Sans lifted one eyelid questioningly. 

"Yeah? So?" Undyne demanded. Sans closed his eyes again, satisfied.

"Can't argue with that."

And so the original eight (excluding Mettaton, who was very busy with shows and interviews), who had finally found time to get together and be unproductive, hunkered down to watch the entirety of the second Mew Mew Kiss Cutie installment. Alphys needed someone to rant to about the inconsistency, lack of plot, and general errors. Even then, the piece tried very hard to be flashy and to have the same dramatic flair that the works before it attained. The experience was met with lots of commentary from Papyrus and Undyne (as expected), accompanied by Alphys, who was more in her element than ever.

"These 'animes' will never cease to amaze me!" Papyrus declared once the final credits started rolling. Frisk nodded wholeheartedly, satisfied by the ending despite the needless complexity of it all. They just needed to enjoy it for what it was. They were also happy to have finally apologized properly to Papyrus, just before the screening started- mostly by giving very intense and long hugs.

**'They're disgusting.'** Chara had regained their talkative streak.

"I know, right?! I mean, its kind of a bummer that they're not actually real, but that was super cool!" Undyne pumped her fists, already in full energy and probably ready to knock something over. Her excitement stirred a sleeping skeleton.

"It's over?"

"Yes, it is! Did you enjoy it, brother?" Papyrus asked. Sans squinted, trying to recall.

"I fell asleep in the first fifteen minutes. It was kind of awful." he admitted.

**'Classic.'**

"You would have fallen asleep anyways!" Papyrus huffed. He stood up, and in the process, kicked a popcorn kernel under the television stand, "Oh dear, I think the house needs a little tidying up." he cringed. Papyrus hesitated, waiting for Undyne's input (it wasn't his home, after all).

"Knock yourself out, I don't think we've cleaned in like, a millenia." she shrugged.

**'I'm not surprised, it stinks in here. What's the point of living on the surface if you're going to be doing it surrounded by filth?'**

"Okay, f-first of all, the first Mew Mew Kissy Cutie is s-so much better. Secondly, we c-cleaned it l-last week." 

**'I wasn't talking about the garbage, by the way.'**

"There is no problem in doing a little extra tidying. I will wash the dishes, if that's alright!" Toriel lifted herself off the couch, suddenly interested at the prospect of cleaning. She had vaguely mentioned that she wanted to polish up the house, once or twice. "If someone could pass the dishes while I grab some gloves and soap, that would be wonderful."

She took Frisk by the hand and led them to the kitchen, which was spattered with old tomato stains and broken pieces of instant noodles. Toriel laughed lightly despite her like of order, remembering her own cooking sessions with Undyne.

"Let's get to work then." her eyes twinkled as she reached under the sink and pulled out a pair of rubber gloves, "I will wash, you can dry." she suggested. Frisk nodded and shoved a stool (usually for Alphys) up to the counter, stretching their arms out in a way that was probably too ready for a task as simple as drying. Undyne had taught them that the kitchen was a place for passion, for battle, and for very tasty food (with fire, sometimes).

Asgore walked into the room, bowls and plates stacked high in his big, fuzzy arms. To their dismay, Frisk saw Toriel's paws stiffen under the now-worn gloves. They felt another headache coming on.

"Very nice cartoon." Asgore said awkwardly, inching the plates down for fear of breaking any of them. Toriel picked one up and started scrubbing it. The bubbles gathered quickly, overflowing off of the plate, dispersing once they finished their duty and popping as they hit the water-filled-sink.

"I must agree with Alphys, the first one was more enjoyable. Mew Mew's growth was mostly lost in this." Toriel grimaced. Asgore brushed a paw through his beard.

"Perhaps. I would say people can unlearn lessons though- they just, uh, drove the point home!" he offered. Toriel gritted her teeth, picking up another plate. Frisk thought the knitted eyebrows might have been there more out of spite than actual disagreement.

"Well, they won with the power of friendship. That was nice." she said.

**'Only in a fictional world would that be a superpower.'**

"It was a kind message, though not exactly realistic. I expect they were not striving for realism." Asgore chuckled. Frisk had practically won through the power of friendship in their turns through the underground, but they had to admit that it wasn't the best special attack for every circumstance.

**'You didn't win through the power of friendship. You won through experience. Manipulation. You think you would have gotten through without your precious resets? If you didn't know exactly what to do and say?'** Frisk swallowed hard, being suddenly turned from routinely uncomfortable to personally bothered in a way that only Chara could strike them. Though generally a true statement, manipulative was a word that Frisk particularly hate. Chara was becoming more creative, intrigued by the heightened possibility of a visit back home now that they knew it was overgrown. Frisk was resilient, however much their head hurt.

"I thought the villain was better than the last one, actually. Not redeemable, of course, but it wasn't just flashy gimmicks- they had a reason for what they were doing, and I thought that was much more easy to listen to than the villain who was always cackling and hungering for power." Frisk melted out of their daze from Asgore's thoughtful stare, as if their ears had cleared from a whistling. The conversation had continued a bit further (hand-in-hand with Frisk's seemingly automatic dish drying) since the short upset, though neither party looked any happier.

"You _would_ think that, wouldn't you?" Toriel said under her breath. It was only a matter of time before her tongue began to swell from biting it so hard. Asgore looked genuinely startled, before his face fell to one of understanding and apologeticness. 

"I must be going, there are some papers that need signing, and I have to wake early tomorrow, and..." he trailed off as Toriel wrinkled her snout, unsure of what to do under the watch of the disapproving goat lady. He inhaled sharply through his nose.

"Right. Well, goodbye. Bye, Frisk." he smiled weakly and waved at the child, before trudging back from where he came.

Frisk wished they hadn't tuned back into the argument. They felt constricted. The towel they were holding trembled in their hands. Their headache was louder. Their skull was pounding. The room spun.

The towel fell.


	5. Geek out

"Maybe they should not have been watching the anime lying down? They always complain about their eyes hurting after watching movies sideways. Oh dear. Is that enough to make them pass out?" stop, stop talking. Too loud.

"I-I don't think s-s-so? They may h-have just been d-dehydrated..." sounds frightened. Feels unsafe. Stop talking.

**'Wake up, sleepy-head.'** sounds groggy. Feels groggy.

"HEY, check it, they're moving!" TOO LOUD!

"What?" Frisk sat up and practically scratched at their eyes, unprepared for the sudden light that filtered through them. They closed them once again, only feeling the soft cotton of a blanket and the rough leather couch, then blinked a few times, looking up to see Toriel, Alphys, and Undyne standing over them. Toriel was panicked, her gaze lit with a familiar maternal flame, while Undyne's was filled with the rage of a thousand ripped, iron-clad suns, as if someone had hurt Frisk. Alphys didn't look too anxious, but still showed an expected amount of concern.

"There, nothing t-to worry a-about." she smiled. Frisk tilted their head, then immediately regretted it as they felt dumbbells shifting from one side of their brain to another. Their headache wasn't continuous, but it was there.

"You passed out, my child. Are you alright?" Toriel stooped down to the level of the couch, resting a comforting, fluffy paw onto Frisk's arm. Frisk took a moment to process, then nodded.

"Yeah! Of course they're alright. _Never_ doubt Alphys!" Undyne ordered. Frisk winced, and Toriel turned a gentle glare to Undyne.

"Quieter, please." she said. Undyne smiled awkwardly and apologized, satisfying Toriel and allowing her to move back to Frisk.

"Do you know _why_ you passed out, Frisk? Have you been feeling sick?" she asked. Frisk shook their head and shrugged at the same time, emphasizing their absolute lack of knowing anything at all. This lack was, of course, a lie. Toriel frowned, exchanging a quick glance with Alphys.

"Well... That is alright. Shall we go home and give you some proper rest? Perhaps that is all you need." she asked. Frisk shook their head vigorously this time (once again experiencing karma afterwards), not wanting to leave. The last thing they needed was to go home and be pampered and have time to think. They patted the couch with a finality. Crumbs bounced off of the cushion.

"Ah, but I am supposed to be grading tests today...?" Toriel bit her lip. Frisk pointed obviously at Alphys and Undyne.

"Heck y-! Er- heck yeah. We'll be your cool auntie babysitters." Undyne had to remind herself to lower her voice. Luckily, Frisk's headache was quickly subsiding with the excitement of staying with her and Alphys.

"That's w-weird. We'll be your _friends_, b-because that's... That's what we are...?" Alphys corrected.

"What? And pass up the opportunity to be a cool wine aunt?" Undyne picked Alphys up dramatically onto her biceps, flexing both figuratively and literally. Undyne didn't seem like the wine type, but she could definitely be... Extra.

"I am sorry Undyne, but I cannot allow you to drink while taking care of Frisk." Toriel almost looked shocked. Frisk held back a snort, knowing that the couple were too caring and cool to drink in the midst of a young child; taking care of Frisk wouldn't be a challenge for them.

"O-Of course not, we're only j-joking. Don't worry, we'll be r-responsible. And I'll call you i-if they get worse." Alphys reassured. She was an ex-scientist, so her judgment was very professional and safe.

"Thank you. I trust you both to take good care of them- though I am sure they can handle themselves well enough." as protective as she could be, Toriel knew that Frisk was more capable than the average kid.

"You can count on us!" Undyne bellowed, forgetting her volume again.

"I know. Frisk, when would you like me to pick you up?" Toriel asked. Frisk scrunched up their face, thinking, before Undyne interrupted:

"Oh, you can stay for the night if you want? Alphys has got some P J's that might fit you, we can chill and watch some more anime!" she said excitedly. A party of three was always better than a party of one! Frisk thumbs-upped agreeably.

"Well, alright, just be in bed at a reasonable time." Toriel smiled. Undyne set Alphys down carefully before pumping her fists with triumph.

"Totally! I'll drive Frisk to school tomorrow! Goodnight Toriel! Bye!" she grinned as she pushed Toriel out the door.

"You are in such a hurry!" Toriel snickered, hands placed jokingly on her hips to show that she could walk outside without any help, "Alright, alright, have fun you three. Goodbye my child, I love you!" she waved.

"Love you." Frisk smiled. Toriel made her way down the front steps and to her car, and Undyne slammed the door, making Alphys jump. 

"Okay losers, let's get our party on!" Undyne hollered. Alphys adjusted her glasses with a giggle.

They started off the evening with the simple task of painting nails, which ended with their hands and feet drenched in cherry red and lime green polish. After that, they cut out plates of armor from pieces of cardboard, stringing them together so they they could role-play as warriors and scream at each other. That ended in a bruise or two, along with very bent cardboard, so they returned to the more relaxing anime-watching activity. Chara was talking like a cynical golf commentator throughout, but it was easier to ignore when surrounded by friends.

The anime was based around a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows them to kill anyone by writing the victim's name. Frisk thought it was way too much power to give to one person- and they were speaking from experience. Alphys was studying psychology at the local university, and was analyzing the episodes thoroughly. After watching a couple of them, Undyne's stomach began to rumble. She groaned.

"I'm starving! Wait here, I'll make us some sandwiches." she hopped off of the couch and sped to the kitchen. Alphys paused the show. Frisk tapped their head, pointed to Alphys, made a writing motion, and asked:

"Fun?" 

Alphys smiled timidly and nodded.

"Psychology is s-super i-interesting, and it's not really different between h-humans and monsters. It's definitely easier than d-determination r-research... being the royal scientist used to take a- a lot out of me." she said. Frisk grimaced sympathetically, remembering Alphys' panicked progress reports in the true lab.

"I mean, at l-least everything turned out okay? I got some... e-experience. If nothing else." she swung her feet absently, avoiding Frisk's gaze. It wasn't a topic she liked talking about.

**'I wonder how much execution points Alphys would have gotten us?'** Chara pondered. Frisk had questioned this too, though not necessarily with the intention to act upon it. Unlike monsters, humans could not check soul statistics on a whim.

It was strange, going from the surface world, with no memory of magic, into Ebott, with expressive battle, energy food, and souls that needed kindness and passion to be sustained. The only deviant from this pattern was Flowey- but then, Flowey didn't have a soul.

A thought occurred to Frisk.

"Take from souls instead of giving? Without hurting?" they proposed. Alphys' eyes went wide, then squinty as she bit her lip.

"I-I suppose that would be p-possible? As- as long as t-the o-one being taken from doesn't have H P lower than one." she spoke quietly at the last line, probably thinking of Sans but not aware that Frisk already knew of his condition.

"How?" Frisk urged. Alphys bit her lip harder, hugging her shoulders.

"I d-don't know? With the D T e-extractor?" she guessed, then crossed herself, "No, it's too high e-energy... and it m-might not work on m-monsters..." she mumbled. Frisk waited as she started talking to herself, knowing Alphys would come up with something soon enough.

"M-maybe there's some way to interchange the heavy m-machinery with something mimicking a 21-gauge n-needle? Humans use them for b-blood, so I don't know if it would work with something d-directly applied to the soul, and there's always the question o-of... of... s-sorry, I'm rambling." she chattered. Frisk waved their arms, assuring Alphys that they didn't mind. Alphys' anxious frown reversed itself.

"Hey, w-why are you so c-curious anyways?" she asked. Then, as if on cue-

**'And very convenient for you.'**

Undyne walked back in. She was holding tall sandwiches packed with all kinds of food, along with three cups of tea. Including their visit to Asgore, Frisk would be drinking a lot of tea this week.

"I heard you nerds talking about boring stuff, so I thought I would hurry up and stop you! Here!" Undyne rocketed one set of lunch items, which Frisk caught with relative ease, and handed Alphys the second set. She then vaulted over the couch, landing with a whomp between the other two.

"We're not supposed to stress about sciencey stuff during sleepovers, so turn the anime BACK ON so we can watch it until our BRAINS MELT!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mostly-nice cushion chapter for things to come.


	6. Freak out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Not gonna lie, I feel like I could have written this chapter better (but I'm not going to change it so people don't have to reread anything/I believe in keeping 'original' drafts) so take it with a grain of salt, please.

"Hey punk?!" Undyne had to yell over the rumble of the motorcycle, and Frisk was clutching onto her for dear life, "You know I trust you, right?!" Frisk couldn't confirm nor deny, as the noise prevented their voice from being heard, and Undyne couldn't distract herself from driving to look at their gestures.

"Okay, well- I do! So I know you don't really need reminding, but whatever you're planning on doing, think hard about it first!" Frisk's grip went slack for a moment, but they corrected the error by hugging Undyne even tighter than before.

"Don't think I didn't notice! You always get this intense vibe whenever you're gonna do something!" she explained. Frisk didn't realize they were that much of an open book.

"I admire your determination, but you gotta chill and be careful sometimes! You're not a tall tough warrior like me!" she called. Frisk wanted to let her know that they weren't going to do anything anyways, but was once again unable to, given the circumstances. The motorcycle whirred to a slow halt at the end of the path leading to the school's entrance. Undyne dropped a steadying foot to the ground. She took off her helmet, spitting at the hair stuck to her face, and Frisk copied the motion, handing their own helmet to Undyne and hopping off of the seat.

"So I don't have anything to worry about, right?" Undyne asked, her voice more earnest now that the engine had calmed. Frisk gave her a thumbs up, appreciating the concern. Undyne grinned.

"Okay, just making sure." she put the safety gear back on and lifted her feet, "Have fun in prison, punk!" she laughed, and before Frisk knew it, she was gone. The motorcycle could still be heard in the distance as Frisk walked down the path.

"Aw dude, I have a test in history today that I'm totally gonna fail!" Monster Kid met Frisk at the entrance as always, a sack full of papers tied to his neck like a hoodie-backpack hybrid, "How am I supposed to know which humans were allied in the Ebott war? I didn't even know there were different countries until, like..." MK paused and looked down at his clawed toes, lifting them one by one. Frisk put a hand where his shoulders should be, stopping him and raising four fingers.

"Yoooo, four months already? Feels like it was just yesterday. Man, why couldn't summer last forever..." he shook his head somberly, and Frisk snickered.

**'It could.'**

The two friends walked into the school, MK holding up a conversation about crime-fighting robots, while Frisk listened intently. They reached the class a split-second before the starting bell, and MK skipped ahead. Toriel stopped Frisk at the door.

"I am glad to see you are feeling better, my child." she said, eyes doe-ish and kind. Frisk took her hand and smiled comfortingly.

"I would- I would just like to apologize. I should not have been arguing with Asgore in front of you, however much I... Dislike him." she continued awkwardly.

**'What a careful choice of words.'** Chara's hissed. Frisk squeezed Toriel's palm, letting her know it was okay.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Toriel laughed softly, "Thank you for understanding, Frisk. Now take a seat, I must be starting class." she ushered them away, then went to the front of the classroom and faced the mix of monsters and humans.

"Good morning class!" the greeting was met with enthusiasm and boredom alike, "I hope you all had a nice long weekend, but we should be getting back into learning." she picked up a ruler and pointed to the far end of the chalk-board.

"I would just like to remind everyone that we have a math test tomorrow, so I want to give you today to study- though I hope you have already done so." 

MK looked panicked. He picked up a small red stick in his mouth and stretched his neck to raise it. Toriel turned to him expectantly, so he spit the stick out.

"I- I have a test in history tomorrow? Could we, I dunno, like, move it or something? I mean, I totally get it if not, but...?" he shuffled his feet. Toriel beamed.

"I am sure that would not be a problem; thank you for speaking up, Monster Kid." she said. MK let out a sigh of relief. Next to Frisk, a human child scoffed. They recognized him as Zachary.

"Seriously? He of all monsters shouldn't need more time. It's already unfair that he's friends with one of the people on the test." he complained, lips curled back in annoyance. He was referring, of course, to Frisk. 

"Well, you could be friends with them too, if you actually tried." MK retorted. Toriel glanced at him sternly, then to Zach.

"Now now, I am positive that the test will be fair for everyone, just as long as you studied. You _did_ study, no?" she inquired. Zach sunk lower into his chair and glared at Toriel.

"I did what I wanted. It's our weekend, you shouldn't be bossing us around. You're not our mom." he sneered. Toriel's smile twitched.

"Yes, well, I _am_ your teacher- and I see you all as my children. Therefore, I believe you all deserve time between your tests." she explained. Zach was unconvinced.

"But we're not your children- and even if we were, you're obviously picking favorites." he motioned to Frisk, "She's practically royalty, and whoever's friends with her is too, right?"

**'Well, he's not exactly wrong, but-'**

"Stop calling them that." MK growled, his claws curling as if he was itching to climb out of his seat.

"What? She has long hair, she's a girl." Zach said. Frisk clenched their hands together under the table, refusing to meet his gaze. Toriel opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted;

"No." they said.

"Fine, then you're a prince!" he crossed his arms stubbornly, looking away from his three opponents, "I wonder how many of those you need to replace the old one." he added under his breath. Toriel's eyes went wide, and her jaw went slack. Frisk's fist connected to Zachary's chin.

They stared at their hands, surprised, then at him. Look at his stupid face. They punched him again, on the side of the face, and tackled him to the ground. They knew the violence wasn't helping, they wanted to stop, but they were just so _angry_. Why were they so angry? They hit him precisely, aiming for as much damage as possible with each shot, relishing the thunk of each swing, the scratches of blood on their knuckles. He would pay. He was the problem with humanity. He was the reason it was so difficult for the monsters to settle up here. He screamed and tried to push them off, but dodging a child's feeble attempts at combat was nothing compared to warriors and kings. Then, when they felt arms pulling them from behind, they let the anger wash away.

Frisk breathed heavily, glaring at Zachary. 

**'He deserved that.'**

He was crying. Frisk blinked and looked up to see Toriel, tears streaming down her cheeks and shock mirrored in her eyes. Frisk looked around, and saw a sea of scared faces and raised phones. Oh, no.

Frisk tore themselves out of Toriel's grasp, unable to face her, and knowing she would be standing there, paralyzed. Monster Kid, on the other hand, started pursuing them.

"Wait, Frisk, hold on!" his voice was already seeping into the background hum of the school halls; Frisk was _also_ good at running. From battle, from responsibility, it didn't matter. Chara was screaming at them, but they couldn't make out the words through their panic, through the blurring warmth in their eyes. They started sobbing, but they kept going.

When the school faded in the distance, they stopped and leaned against a tree, their ribs shuddering as they gasped for breath. Frisk pulled at their hair, rocking back and forth in fetal position, scrunching their eyes tightly closed.

**'This is it. This is what I was talking about. Humans deserve that, because they do this.'**

"I hit- I hurt-" Frisk choked on their words. They had forgotten the feeling of hurting someone physically, and even then, had never felt someone else's blood on their hands. They didn't want to revisit that gruesome experience- they felt all the guilt and shame from their past piling onto their shoulders, felt Toriel's alarm, the students' eyes.

Nothing was getting better. The surface was supposed to be a new start, but they were ruining it. They were fine yesterday, they were fine before that, they were fine, but where has this come from? The two civilizations got along, yes, but just when things were getting better, someone would voice the fears and furies in the back of their mind. A few bad apples ruin the barrel.

The only thing breaking the silence that followed was Frisk's trembling breath, and the leaves on the breeze. Finally, when it seemed that Frisk was calm, Chara spoke up.

**'Let's go back. We'll build up EXP, and come back, and destroy them.'** Frisk was enraged at first, then forced themselves to think level-headed.

"No."

**'No?'**

"Not running." Frisk knew they had to face what was done, or else they would turn to their old habits. They had vowed to a lasting surface life, and they were going to uphold that. Chara was thoughtfully quiet for a good few minutes longer.

**'You'll change your mind.'** they decided in an almost-bored tone. Frisk shook their head. Chara's irritation grew.

**'Fine, oh tough one. If you're so morally perfect, go face them. Go let them know how sorry you are, that you'll do anything to make it up to them. Go prove me wrong.'** they spat. Frisk swallowed hard.

'I will. Not yet. But soon.'


	7. Killed the cat

The wind howled like a wounded animal outside, sending the fallen leaves back through the air. The rain came in torrents, ricocheting off of the trees and sending long branches crashing to the ground. The only pause in darkness was the occasional split of lightning, illuminating the autumn scene in an appropriately dramatic fashion.

Ear pressed up against the door, Frisk could hear muffled sobbing, angry yelling, and the low rumble of a third, calmer voice. They pulled away and leaned their back against the door instead, drawing their knees to their chest. Their hair was soaked, clinging to their slick face and dripping down to their equally damp clothes, keeping the cold close to their body. Drops of water sat on their lashes, but they weren't crying anymore. They just needed to gather courage. The light filtering through the curtains was welcoming, the voices less so.

Frisk stood up again. Their shoes sloshed like cooler ice, not meant for the weather, as they moved to knock. Once, hesitantly, feeling dread dragging at their arm. The noise quieted from inside. They forced themselves to knock again, louder. The clamor started up again, before the door swung open to Asgore's sober expression. 

"What is it?" he asked. Frisk stood nervously as realization creeped up on him, "Oh, come in! Tori- Toriel, they-"

"My child!" Toriel interrupted him, leaping off of her chair and diving into a hug. The fur on her face- now uncovered by her paws- was unkempt, and her eyes were red and slitted. She crushed Frisk under the weight of her embrace, and it took a while before she was willing to let go. As soon as she did;

"What the HELL was that?! We were worried sick!" Undyne's teeth were ferociously bared, and she pointed an accusing spear at Frisk. Toriel glared at her from where she knelt.

**'If she killed us, would you go back?'**

"Undyne, lower your weapon immediately! I will not ask you twice." Toriel warned. Undyne was taken aback, glancing between mother and child in disbelief, until she regained her composure and thrusted the spear forward.

"No! What got into you, Frisk?! I thought- you said- you said you weren't gonna pull any stunts!" she cried, her voice wavering. Frisk hung their head.

"I'm sorry." they said. Undyne waited for something more, but Frisk didn't have an excuse. Her lip curled.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" she roared, and the spear came closer. Toriel stood up and grasped the opposite end from Undyne, eyes narrowed.

"Undyne! Put down your spear!" she ordered, summoning a small burst of flame into her free hand. They stared each other down, Undyne wondering if she should move, Toriel enraged. 

**'Look what you caused.'** Chara jeered.

"Toriel, please-"

"Asgore, do not step out of line. Are you on her side, or mine?!" she turned the ignited claws to Asgore, who stepped back tensely.

"I am not picking a side, Tori!" he insisted, not taking his eyes away from the fire.

"Do not call me that!"

"Everyone, just stop!" a new voice broke out into scream. The present monsters- and Frisk- all turned their attention to the source, falling silent. For the first time, Frisk noticed Alphys, curled up onto one of the other dining chairs. She was tight-lipped, grim, with a gaze that was both questioning and understanding. She wanted to know more, Frisk was sure of that, but she only stood up and glided towards them, ignoring the other three.

"F-Frisk...? Are you okay?" she asked steadily. Frisk was about to reply with the same certainty, but found themselves too tired to say anything at all. Alphys opened her arms, and they accepted the offer gratefully. Alphys' hug was softer.

"You're f-freezing." she whispered, separating them so that she could take their hand instead, "Why don't you go get changed, then m-maybe we'll talk some m-more." Frisk nodded and let go, hugging themselves as the arguing started back up.

**'Giving up would be so much easier than sitting through this.'** Chara said. Frisk didn't respond, grabbing a towel and a set of clean clothing. They changed, then slumped onto their bed, psyching themselves up to walk back out. Deep breaths. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

They walked back out of their room to find that the party had moved to the living area, each sitting on opposite ends of the couch and armchair, stony cold-shoulders being passed between them. They waited for Frisk to sit down beside Toriel before continuing the earlier discussion.

"I am not mad at you, Frisk. I hope you know that." Toriel placed a warm paw on their hand. They didn't meet her gaze, but nodded slowly. Alphys elbowed Undyne.

"I'm uh... I'm not really mad at you either. Just... Frustrated? Sorry for yelling." she rubbed her shoulder, the spear having been dissipated.

"Even so, you will have to speak to Zachary and his parents. Both of you must be held accountable for your actions." Asgore said. Toriel gave him a sharp glance.

"Well, let's not worry about that right now. Frisk, is there anything you would like to talk about?" Toriel wondered sweetly. Frisk thought daily about whether or not they should tell everyone about their resetting ability, about Asriel, about Chara, about the many times they committed murder, but now didn't really seem like the time. Never really seemed like the time.

**'They act as if _he_ did nothing wrong.'** Chara growled. Frisk realized that Chara had some right to be angry, but if there was anything they had learned during their time in the underground, it was that violence was never the answer. Unfortunately, they learned said lesson the hard way.

"That is alright. We are just glad you're safe." Asgore smiled gently.

"Yes. Now, I think it is about time that everyone went home and Frisk got some sleep." Toriel cleared her throat, "And... And thank you all for helping out here." she added. The group returned the well wishes to the both of them, and then awkwardly dispersed. On the way out, Alphys paused.

"I-If you ever need someone to t-talk to, call me. I w-won't judge."

***

Frisk's shirt was stuffy, carefully ironed with a collar that sat just a little too high. That was the least of their worries though, considering they were currently entering the principal's office to have a chat with Zachary and his parents. Most of the kids were in their classes at this point, but the few strays had openly stared as Frisk walked past with Toriel holding their hand.

"Now, I'm assuming we all know why we're here, but I'd like both of you to tell me why _you think_ you're here." the principal asked as they all took their seats. She had square glasses that always slid down her nose, and her soft voice contrasted a very strict appearance.

"They hit me." Zachary mumbled. His mom put a hand firmly onto his shoulder, "And... I was... rude." the principal then turned to Frisk, but they only shrugged.

"I hit him." and they had done a good job of it, too. His lip was swollen and he had a few bruises that were poorly masked with makeup.

"We're very sorry about what Zach said, miss Dreemurr." Zachary's mom told Toriel.

**'Shouldn't _he_ be apologizing?'**

"Yes, we hope that our kids can be friends after this." his dad agreed, putting an arm around his wife's shoulder. Zach crossed his own arms and rolled his eyes.

"Well... It was... Rather personal, but children don't always realize that," Toriel's voice was strained, "Though, I think Frisk would like to say something as well?" she said. Frisk sighed and tried to catch Zach's eye, but he refused to meet their line of sight.

"I'm sorry." they said as honestly as they could. They felt horrible about what they did, but they rarely conveyed a lot of emotion though their voice.

"Thank you both for your understanding," the principal nodded approvingly, "The last thing I want to address is the videos." Frisk glanced up in confusion at Toriel, who gave an oddly sympathetic smile. The principal pulled up her laptop and typed a few things in, pushing her glasses up. The few quiet seconds felt like hours.

"Some videos were posted of the fight not too long ago. We're in the process of taking them down, and the students will have a talking-to about them, but- well, your reputation proceeds you, Frisk, and those videos have spread a bit." she explained apologetically. Frisk closed their eyes; they expected something like this to happen, but it didn't make the news easier to bear. Zachary's parents seemed uncomfortable, while Zach himself was slumping low into his seat, indignant.

"Since we do not condone aggressive behavior, I'm afraid you will have to stay for detention for the rest of this week," the principal continued, seeming genuinely unhappy about this decision, "And if another situation arises, I will ask the councilor to step in. Does that sound fair?"

Frisk nodded lightly, and Toriel squeezed their hand appreciatively. Zach didn't say anything.

"Well, I'm sure that won't be necessary." his mom waved her hands dismissively, disfavoring the idea of getting more people involved. A frown flashed over the principal's face, but she didn't comment further.

"Alright, then we'll keep you posted on the video-related situation. Thank you all for coming in- have a nice rest of your day." she stood up and shook each of the adults' hands, and then the two families returned to the halls and their respective tasks.

**'Remember what I said about humans and justice? If you can't see that I'm right _now_, you're blissfully idiotic. He should be rotting- or punished, at least.'** Chara growled as Frisk headed to their second class.

Contrary to Chara's belief, Frisk knew the punishment was fair. Still, though they deserved it in the end, it was a lot to take. Internet infamy? Unending guilt? Crushing pity? _Detention?_

This was going to be a long week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always get the feeling I'm rushing/dramatizing/underexplaining everything, but I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Updates might slow down soon-- I'll try my best to stay on schedule though!


	8. Status-faction

The rest of the school day was horrible, consisting of glares and whispers and plague-like avoidance. MK was supportive, but he irritated Chara, and in turn, gave Frisk a very unhelpful headache. Then it was forty minutes of boredom and a video-lecture, and a very long walk home. The evening wasn't much better, with voicemails coming in from friends asking if they were alright, and what had gotten into them, and if they needed to come over and beat Zachary up. 

"H-Hey, I saw the video, t-that's really h-horrible. A-Again, if you need to talk, I'm h-here. O-Oh my g-gosh you knew that, why did I s-send this mes-"

"Hey, if you need a punching bag, don't use a wimp next time! ARGH, I really should have punched that stupid kid in the face instead of yelling at you! Wait, I can still do that. DO YOU NEED- _U-Undyne p-please I already s-sent them a message._ Oh. THE OFFER STANDS, think about it!"

"That's quite a strike dearie~ I haven't heard the full story, so why don't you swing by for some pastries and tell me about what happened?"

"Hope you are doing well. We can talk this weekend, over some tea."

"Frisk! Though I do not encourage violence, you seemed rather upset in this popular internet-film, so I think that you are not in the wrong, and that you should know you are not in the wrong. If you would like, I can give both of you a stern lecture! Then we can all be friends! Or you could come for hugs? I give the best hugs!"

"Heya, that's a mean right hook. Who taught you to swing, huh? Heh. Anyways, I just wanted to stay that I hope you're doing _cool_\- and to watch that _hot_ temper of yours. Wink! Y'see, messages aren't visual, so I let you know I was winking. Right. See you around, Kiddo."

Of course, the last thing Frisk wanted was to be fussed over or have Zach confronted- though it was nice that they all took the time to call. Apparently they had also gotten several calls about scheduling a press conference, but those requests were quickly ignored and disposed of by Toriel.

**'Don't forget the _other_ bother.'**

Oh, that was right. The one 'person' who managed to call when Frisk returned from school was Mettaton, who had late work-hours himself. Frisk let him know that they were okay, and when learning that Toriel let them stay home tomorrow, he had insisted he would visit.

The doorbell rang, followed by a "Well that's not a very catchy tune. Can we sell doorbell sounds?"

Frisk opened the door to a tall, shined, glamorous robot- and a timid ghost. Mettaton stepped inside.

"Ugh, the weather has been absolutely dreadful- I swear, I've had my circuits nearly fried three times this week, and that's three too many." he complained, taking off a black fur (fake, of course) coat and tossing it aside, "Now, I know you don't have a corporeal form, but there's no need to wait in the rain."

"Sorry... Nobody invited me in, so..." Napstablook drifted through the opening, head-half hanging apologetically.

"You're not a vampire, dear." Mettaton raised his metal brows. Frisk smiled despite themselves; it was easy to see why Mettaton was so popular, what with his charming viciousness and pristine fashion.

"Darling, it is so good to see you!" he swept Frisk off of their feet by their underarms, "Now, I know this was a bit last minute, but Blooky and I thought you might need a distraction from all this _drama._"

"It's okay if you want us to go, though..." Napstablook cut in nervously. Frisk shook their head with a grin, letting them know that this was a vacation they really needed. Mettaton set them down.

"Splendid! Now I remember you saying at some point-" Mettaton pulled a long tray out of some kind of back compartment, "That you wanted to try playing the keyboard. So..." he jazz-handsed over to Napstablook.

"Oh... Me...? Well... I was going to teach you... Not that I'm that great at it..." he blushed shyly- which was strange, for something that didn't have blood.

"Nonsense! Blooky here is the best keyboarder I know!" Mettaton sauntered past Frisk and unfolded the keyboard tray, then turned and whispered "Simply appreciate that we offered before Undyne." Frisk snickered; they could already imagine Undyne screaming because they weren't hitting the keys hard enough.

The rest of the afternoon was calming and melodic, starting with easy songs like "Comptine d'un Autre Manque-de-Saison" and "Shyren Lake". Frisk picked up skills easily, so Napstablook didn't have a very difficult time instructing. Mettaton had taken to lounging on the couch and flipping through TV channels, which Frisk didn't mind at all- at least, not until a news station came on.

"-Protests have been continuing on both sides for several hours now, stalling traffic on the Inelegant Intersection- you're encouraged to find a different route, as-" Frisk ignored the rest of the sentence, captivated instead by the image currently on-screen. Human protesters were holding up signs with variations of rude, angry messages written in bold letters, and a mix of humans and monsters opposed them, standing on the opposite side of the road- though a few of them were willing to meet in the middle, which was causing the traffic mentioned. Surprisingly- or perhaps not, considering his job- Papyrus was also there, seeming particularly distressed, trying to mediate the situation.

**'He's wasting his time.'**

"Hm." Mettaton turned the television off with a frown, "That's... probably not what you need right now."

"Oh gosh..." Napstablook buried his face in pinched-sheet arms. Frisk reached up to comfort him, but their hand fazed through his body.

"Oh gosh..." he repeated, embarrassed. Frisk sighed, turning to the black screen.

"Why?" they opened their arms in an exaggerated way, gesturing to the TV. Mettaton slid a hand over his hair dramatically.

**'I've _told_ you _why._'**

"Our reputation amongst humans doesn't seem to be updated. They're living in the past." he sighed, shaking his head.

"It's okay... We're probably just scary to them..." Napstablook always tried to find a reason to excuse people from taking blame. It was an unbiased way of thinking, but not always healthy.

"Well, you could be right there- I doubt we would have gained as much fame without being familiar 'concepts' to humans. I mean, I'm modeled after them." Mettaton admitted reluctantly. He side-eyed the wall, seemingly at battle with his own opinion. A good portion of his fanbase was human, but:

"Doesn't excuse anything." Frisk muttered. Neither performers replied to this. Finally, Mettaton pulled himself into a sitting position, hands hugged together between his knees, gaze seriously locked onto Frisk's.

"People are scared of new things, but things don't stay new forever. Change takes time. That's all." he asseverated. Frisk wrinkled their nose and averted their attention to the keys, clacking them carelessly. Mettaton rolled his eyes.

"That's _horrible_, darling," he stood up, hands-on-hips, legs spread hero-like, "Why don't we show you how it's done?"

He pointed at Napstablook and snapped his fingers four times, then sprang into song and dance, while Napstablook span fabulous tunes with his ghost-board. They waved Frisk over, so they got up and started busting out moves- including a moonwalk that they were very proud of perfecting. It was clear that Mettaton lived for the show, and Napstablook was more alive than Frisk had ever seen a ghost be. They were enjoying themselves.

The performance ended in cool poses and heavy breathing, before Mettaton swept the other two into a hug (holding his arms to circle Napstablook instead of 'touching' him) and raved about their amazing abilities. The meet-up was stopped by an alarm, at which Mettaton frowned regretfully.

"Looks like we're scheduled for that signing now, Blooky. This has been wonderful, we'll be sure to drop in again sometime." he said, grabbing his coat and slipping it on. He took the keyboard, while Napstablook packed the ghostly version away.

"As long as you don't mind..." he smiled. Frisk returned the positivity and held the door open for the pair. On the way out, Mettaton paused and turned.

"You don't have to worry for all of monsterkind, Frisk. This will work itself out. Besides, you've still got your own status and schoolwork to worry about- You don't want to get stress wrinkles this early on!" he winked. Frisk winked back, letting him know that they understood. He strutted out the door at this, satisfied. Frisk closed it.

**'You seem enlightened. So what are you going to do now?'**

They spent the test of the day digging and building dirt castles outside until Toriel came home. She stood at the first step of their deck and leaned against the railing, combing her ears with her paw as she watched Frisk play.

"Frisk, can you stop what you're doing for a moment? I would like to tell you something." she said at last. Frisk patted a bit of mud down, then dropped to their knees and looked at Toriel attentively.

"Now, please be open minded about this-" she warned, "You seem stressed lately, so I have looked into getting you a therapist."

**'Holy hyperdeath, she thinks you're insane. This is gold.'**

"I'm okay." Frisk argued at once. How were they supposed to explain murder and time travel and voices to a human therapist? Frisk could barely explain their troubles to monsters in previous timelines, let alone people who had only learned of magic a few months earlier.

"I am not so sure. I know you do not like speaking a lot, but I genuinely think that this would be healthy for you." Toriel insisted. Frisk couldn't respond, couldn't provide a good argument without giving away their possible years of experience in Mt. Ebott. Toriel took this as compliance. That was fine, Frisk would figure out a way to get out of it later.

"This will be good for you." Toriel restated, perhaps more for herself than for Frisk.

***

Frisk wanted to do something, to avoid sleep somehow. They could talk to someone; anyone but themselves. Anyone but Chara. 

Even with the busy week, Chara hadn't let up on nightmares. The last thing they needed was a vision of stabbing their adoptive mother, or their friends, or anybody. Further than that, they were starting to question their forgiving morals, and they didn't want any agitated chatting to solidify that. If anyone could distract them right now, it would be Papyrus- and maybe he could tell them about the protest earlier, too. 

Frisk picked up their phone and dialed the skeleton brothers' number.

_Ring._

_Ring._

"Pain stickers, you slap 'em, we stick 'em." Sans' voice came through the speaker, comically energetic. Not who Frisk was looking for, but usually equally entertaining.

"Hi?" Frisk said, not really sure how to reply to his introduction.

"Oh, hey kiddo. What's up?" he asked.

"Dog."

"Not how that works, but you've got the spirit." Sans chuckled. Frisk tugged at their sleeve, realizing that a phone conversation wasn't going to work between two people who relied on visual humor (this applied moreso to Frisk, of course).

"Papyrus...?" they requested tentatively. Sans clicked his... Tongue? Well, he clicked something in a disappointed manner.

"Sorry, Papyrus' kinda had a long day; he's bone-tired. I could pass a message?" he offered.

"No." Frisk said. Figured.

"Suit yourself. Hey, you sound kinda awful," he cleared his throat as soon as the words were spoken, "Yeesh, that probably didn't come off super well- Look, even though I can't get you Papyrus right now, you could probably talk to him tomorrow. Or- hold on-" there was a _thuk_, then a shuffling of footsteps in the distance, then a rustling of paper. 

"Not tomorrow, but sometime this week. _Tibia_ honest, I can't really read this schedule..." Sans returned only to put the phone down again, voice fading out as he evidently attempted to read his brother's handwriting. One more rustle, then he started talking at a reasonable distance again.

"Eh, you'll figure it out, right? Anyways, could you do me a favor, bud?" he dismissed the previous conversation awkwardly.

"Sure." Frisk said hesitantly. As Sans hated making promises, he had a sort of unspoken rule of not asking others to make them either. He was definitely acting strange. He took an audible breath.

"Hang in there, okay? We're all counting on you, and I think this is just past the time..." he sighed, "Yep, yeah, that's all. I'm actually doing a stand-up tomorrow, you should come check it out."

"Mhm." Frisk let themselves down onto their bed slowly, hands starting to tremble.

**'He doesn't trust you. And why should he? Why should anybody?'** so much for avoiding upset.

"See you later, Frisk." Sans concluded after a tense bout of inaudibility. There was a tap, before the phone started beeping obnoxiously. Frisk switched it off and let their arm fall to their side. That ended much more quickly than expected, on a much more sour note than intended. The entire day had been lemonade-like, mouth-twisting and sweet at the same time. It was a rollercoaster. It was often a rollercoaster.

That was fine. It was nothing Frisk couldn't handle. They faced time-constraining puzzles and intense battles, so what was social justice and self-control in comparison? 

They just needed to formulate a plan...

A plan that would be fully fledged...

Right after...

...

_We look at our paws, sickly and matted, the wrists draped with the heavy sleeves of a robe. Those paws are blurred, frayed, and there's something missing. It hurts to look; so we focus instead on the color in the distance. Almost there, almost there. We hang our head, because it hurts to look up, too. The body feels heavier by the second, and we want to put our arms down and sleep, but not until we reach the color. The color is soft._

_Our legs tremble, we're bleeding, our mouth tastes sweet. The body is withering- the final stage in its decomposition. We're angry, we throw the body to the color and fall onto it as well. We turn our head, and the body is staring at us. It's crying. The color hugs it and pushes it further down, until the body is nothing but dust- nothing but a part of the writhing colors. The rainbow is crying. The rainbow is screaming for help. But nobody comes. _


	9. Brought it back

'If I had realised you were that worried about him, I might've done this sooner.' Frisk threw the hook, tugged on the rope cautiously, then used it to hoist themselves up.

**'I'm not worried about him. Besides, you wouldn't have- not unless it benefited you.'** Chara argued. They acted angry, but Frisk could tell they were at least somewhat pleased.

'It's not benefiting me.' Frisk reassured. Chara scoffed.

**'You're running from your problems.'** they said, though the statement didn't bother Frisk. After the routine of school and drama, having a purpose- a call to adventure- was refreshing. And they didn't have to feel bad about it, because they had a reason, multiple reasons, to go back to the mountain.

'I'm going to fix another problem.'

**'Why?'** Chara demanded.

'Chara, that wasn't a memory; it was a real, actual nightmare.' they explained. It had been a chilling one, and they couldn't place their finger exactly on why, but they knew it was a dream that didn't belong to them. Even with that strangeness, there was no mistaking the event.

**'No, it wasn't.'**

The small ledge ended, and the path to the main entrance was visible once again. Frisk rolled up the climbing hook and started walking.

'I'm not going to keep arguing with you.' they decided, taking off their gloves to flex their scuffed hands. It was a hot, dry day- not bad for scaling mountains. That being said, there wasn't much scaling taking place at all; though interrupted at times, the path had been mostly smoothed out to allow for back-and-forth traveling. Toriel would never let them go up here alone. Luckily, Toriel didn't know- she was busy at Sans' comedy show at the moment.

It had been another tiring day. The students continued avoiding Frisk. Chara had been icy silent, in a way that nagged at Frisk. On the way home, people followed them and berated them with insults and questions, until Monster Kid joined Frisk and told the paparazzi to back off. Papyrus turned out to have time to call them, and sounded very cheerful- that is, until Frisk mentioned the day before, and he burst into tears. It was bad enough that they had to deal with judgment as the savior of monsters, now their friends were being roped into mean-spirited debates. Mettaton and Napstablook had also been interviewed on the subject of monster-human relations (and Frisk's stunt), apparently.

The only thing weighing on them now was a backpack full of necessities. They didn't know if they would accomplish anything during this endeavor, but it was worth a shot.

The entrance was covered with a dense swath of vines and roots, just as Asgore had described. They would have to walk around the mountain a little in order to reach the hole above the ruins, where they had originally fallen down. Of course, there was a chance that it was blocked up too; they could only hope.

The time hit that point where the sun was setting, but you could see a ghostly outline of the moon as well. Clouds were invading the sky, threatening to rain. If the rocks were wet, Frisk would have a much harder time getting to the opening. Luckily, they could already see it in the near distance.

As they approached it, pebbles skidded over the edge and into the dark depths below. It was still as dangerous as ever, but at least Frisk was aware of the hole now. They kicked two rocks together, then wedged the hook between them before stomping on it for good measure.

**'Do you really think that'll hold?'** Chara asked sarcastically. Frisk grasped the rope tightly between their hands,

'Let's hope so.' they lowered themselves onto the ledge. They weren't scared exactly, but a long drop- such as the one beneath them- was a reason for caution. Bit by bit-

The hook snapped out of place, and Frisk went tumbling down, down, down. Overgrown plants and jutting rocks hit them on the way to the bottom, tearing through their skin but effectively slowing their fall through the rabbit hole. They landed with a thump, and a crack. They groaned, lying still.

They couldn't turn back now. Frisk pushed themselves up, their muscles burning in protest, to open the backpack. A few monster candies sat on the top: portable food for quick healing. Monster food was a miracle in its own right, with great taste and the convenience of converting directly to energy. Frisk popped one in their mouth, and the gashes soon turned to miniscule papercuts. A refreshing relief washed over them.

**'That was a close call.'** Chara seemed almost disappointed. Frisk snorted and stood up, taking the comment as an ironic joke rather than a threatening insult.

The ornate doorway was just a few feet farther, resting untouched and unkempt out if the overhead light. After that doorway would be a second one- which seemed a bit redundant. Frisk wondered if something had been built and torn down before they had first fallen. It was no use asking Chara; they rarely stole Frisk's chances to learn things the hard way.

Finally, the familiar purple tiles came into view, chipped and moss-covered. They had come to the official entrance of the ruins. It was oddly quiet- almost eerily so- what with the underground being virtually empty. They felt the knowing lure of determination, though there was no star-shaped rip in space-time in sight. Farther: the puzzle that usually stood in this room was torn down in spite, as they served as a memory for the war, and were unwanted now that the monsters were free. Frisk passed freely into the next area, and the next. 

"Narrate?" they requested, now thoroughly creeped out by the silence.

**'Seriously?'** Chara scoffed. Frisk stepped gingerly over a root.

"It's spooky." they explained. 

**'And here I thought you couldn't be scared.'** they grunted, **'Fine, you scratched my back, I'll scratch yours.'**

The corridor- the one used to test their independence, the one with the pillar at the end- stretched ahead more intimidatingly than ever. Chara started their narration in order to fill the nothing. 

**'You remember this place. The RUINS; except the monsters smashed into the walls on the way out, so now it's just ruined.'** they joked.

As they entered the next room, Frisk spotted a green creeper trailing into the room that once held a pristine bowl of monster candy.

**'Toppled by they-who-may-not-be-named.'** Chara commented, **'Nobody else can destroy things quite like you.'**

Okay, so maybe taking more candy than the sign suggested wasn't a good idea. But really, when did people ever only take one at 'take one' bowls? Still, the room it was held in was so fancy that the one who set up the entire thing would have likely cared deeply for it.

There were two rows of filtered water, which were being drowned by a mesh of vines. Plants needed to be watered, and it seemed Flowey was no exception.

**'Looks like this is where you stop. Get his attention; he'll come to you.'** Chara suggested.

Frisk poked one of the vines softly and hesitantly, and it twitched. Frisk jumped back reflexively, but nothing happened.

**'You'll have to hit it harder than that.'** Chara laughed. Frisk frowned and poked it again, though as expected, was met with the same result. They took a step back and glared at the vine, determined, before stomping down hard. The vine started writhing around like a snake, displacing dirt and stone, before;

"What kind of sick-! Frisk?" Flowey popped out of the ground, fury diminished at the sight of the child's face. He swallowed.

"Well howdy there." he grinned almost sheepishly, which was very unlike his murderous self. Frisk sat down cross-legged and tilted their head at him.

"How am I? I'm horrible," Flowey cackled sardonically, "What about you?"

Frisk shrugged. Flowey narrowed his eyes in irritation.

"Well, the surface can't be much worse than down here." he said. Frisk shifted uncomfortably; in truth, they personally liked the underground more. With a lack of change came a lack of problems. Flowey rose out of the ground, his hollow eyes widening, his skin pulling back into a row of sharp teeth.

"Are you _kidding_ me? You know how hard it is to keep myself _trapped_ down here? The _least_ you could do is enjoy the surface, you i-" he instantly shrunk back down, realizing his actions, "Sorry, it's hard to control your anger when you have no way to let it out." his petals drooped low onto the ground as he buried himself guiltily into his roots. Frisk blinked and pointed to them.

"Oh those? I've always had those, I just didn't stretch them." he made each vine in the room wriggle a bit for emphasis, "What, did you think I swam through the dirt? That's silly!" he giggled. Frisk pictured a small flower shooting through the ground, and followed suit in his giggling.

"Golly, you have no idea how nice it is to have someone to talk to." Flowey said when they calmed down. Frisk wrinkled their brows.

"Go up?" they asked. Flowey shook his head.

"I could have, but I was afraid that if I did... I might hurt someone. That's why I locked myself down here." he explained. Despite the circumstances, Frisk was proud of him.

"I'm tired, Frisk. Being Asriel... even for a little while... helped me remember what it was like to feel. So when I turned back, I vowed to be a better flower." he continued his venting.

"I didn't realize how hard that would be! But now you're here." he smiled his iconic three-line smile. Frisk nodded encouragingly, before Flowey dropped his gaze.

"I'm so tired. So bored. Being safe is no fun at all." he grumbled. The creases of his brows turned thoughtful.

"Now that I think about it... it didn't really matter when I hurt monsters in loops, right? Because they would just forget." he said. Frisk didn't like where this was going.

"Still bad." they insisted.

"Oh, well, I'm not very good at being good." Flowey shrugged the vines that were coiled around him. He dropped the melancholic mannerisms in favor of a more bored, indifferent frown. For the second time, his bad mood got the better of him; he called upon the extensions of his plant body, growing and towering over Frisk- who stumbled back, shocked.

"Frisk, I want to keep playing. I'm not ready to rot here." Flowey hissed.

Frisk felt a splitting pain- quite literally. Their soul shattered to pieces before their eyes, and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha! Ironic that the character in the title rarely appears in the actual story.  
Updates are probably going to slow down now... I've run out of pre-written chapters D:


	10. Two bad apples

**'That didn't go quite as planned.'**

**'At least there's room for mistakes now.'**

**'This is exciting! What's your next move?'**

Frisk had an idea, but neither of them would be too thrilled about it. More accurately, Frisk hated it and Chara would be indifferent. Dread kept them planted face-down in the flower-strewn patch of light, but there was no use in staying here. They were going to have to face the music eventually.

'When I fight Flowey, I usually only have the strength to call a few monsters; so what if I got enough EXP to call them all?' they proposed.

**'What in the world would you gain from that?'** whatever Chara had been expecting, it wasn't this.

'I was thinking about what Alphys said, and I guessed that there might be a way to use a little bit of every monster's soul to create a... a new soul, for Asriel.' Frisk explained. Chara was further surprised, breaking into laughter.

**'You _know_ that makes no sense?'** they asked, amused.

'Like you said, if it doesn't work, I can always...' Frisk sighed and stood up.

'Try again.'

They brushed their hands through their hair, smoothing it down and dislodging bits of twigs and petals. The fall was always painless- because they reset to just after waking up with Chara's soul- but the dirt and scuffs made the experience of moving sufficiently uncomfortable. 

"Howdy, I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" Flowey popped out of the ground, framed through the doorway ahead of Frisk, "But you knew that, right friend?" he giggled.

"You might have forgotten how things work down here, so why don't I remind you?"

Toriel jumped in to save them before Flowey could do any damage. He wasn't thrown by this, and Frisk saw him dissappear beneath the ground with a giddy grin. Toriel took their hand and pulled them away from the spot, to the puzzles. They cleared them quickly, all the words and problems passing in a buzz, until they reached the pillar. Toriel left them to make a pie. Butterscotch and Cinnamon, as always.

'Chara, I'm going to give you control of my body.' Frisk decided, unable to take their sight off of the space-time rip in the next room. The pile of leaves it hovered over always reminded them of the deep red of a determined soul.

**'Did I hear that right?'** Chara gasped mockingly.

'You'll get through this quicker than me; I'm not feeling great.' Frisk continued, ignoring them.

**'Queasy over a little spilt dust? So unlike you.'** they kept at their sarcastic comments, either for their own enjoyment or Frisk's suffering.

'If we can pull this off, we might find a way to seperate your soul from my body- then you're free to do whatever you want.' Frisk offered. They had given this a lot of thought. They felt Chara's emotions in a spark, mixed and confusing before they could get them under wraps.

**'You always know just what to say. I guess it takes practice.'** the wit was less charismatic this time.

'Chara.' Frisk persisted. Chara went quiet. Then sighed. 

**'Okay. I'll play by your rules.'**

'Thank you.' Frisk said with relief. They would trust Chara for now. Even if their intentions weren't kind, they rarely found use in actively disobeying Frisk's wishes. They relaxed and willed Chara to take over control, and felt their mind and sight being pushed back, like watching a first-person movie- or dissociating incredibly hard. They felt their arms and legs move like ghost limbs, stretching and cracking.

**'Let's get to work.'**

It was a long and grueling process, searching through every nook and cranny for any monster that might be hiding from their tyranny. After that, they had to clean themselves carefully of dust so that Toriel wouldn't be immediately suspicious. Whenever they decided to take the less peaceful route, Frisk felt as if the fates themselves were watching and judging their actions. Nothing could be worse than their own guilt, of course. Chara's movements were more numb, robotic, as this was just a chore- it was nothing new, they were always ready to do what was needed.

Toriel walked towards them, phone pressed up to one ear and hand folded over arm. Her brows were creased as she mumbled to herself.

"How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?" she gasped, running to stoop down and look them over, "Not a scratch... Impressive! But still..." her face switched rapidly from surprise, to worry, to relief, to guilt.

"I should not have left you alone for so long," she admitted, "It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this."

They were not surprised.

After receiving their piece of the pie, they went straight to pestering Toriel about the route out of the ruins. She ran down the stairs.

**'We kill her, we're committing.'**

'Yes.'

Going up and down the stairs was tiring their legs, and wearing their patience thin. They would advance soon enough. They just needed to get through... Well, their mom. Toriel, even in this detached state, was no less the familiar caretaker than she was on the surface. As she summoned an army of fire, her eyes were illuminated with not only defiance, but worry. She wouldn't hurt them, not enough to kill them. That would be to her detriment.

A tear found itself stretched along the length of Toriel's robes, cutting through her fur- and through her skin. She stared at the gash, then at her child.

"Y..." she choked, "You... really hate me that much?"

"Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here." she didn't meet their gaze, "Not you..."

"But them!" she cracked into a grin at the irony of it all- but her killer couldn't appreciate the joke.

"Ha... ha..."

Their soul ached as they made their way to the bright light of the snow-strewn winter. Their chest was tight. Frisk hoped they weren't shuddering, but at the same time, they hoped Alphys could see their regret through the camera in the bushes and understand. She wouldn't, and that wasn't her fault; she didn't have all of her memories in-tact.

They knew Sans was behind them, even if they couldn't hear his footsteps. The only real indication of his presence was the snap of the stick he stepped on- a purposeful move, a warning.

"Human, don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand." they obeyed, but couldn't find the following fart noise amusing. Sans shook their behavior off and led them to the conveniently-shaped lamp, though Chara refused to humor him by hiding behind it. Papyrus, being the unobservant, over-confident skeleton that he was, would be too wrapped up in his excitement to realise they were the human being referred to. After Papyrus left, they paused on their way to the next 'checkpoint'. Sans would speak now.

"My brother'd really like to see a human..." he cleared his non-existent throat, "So, y'know, it'd really help me out... If you kept pretending to be one."

That line always stumped Frisk. Did he know Chara was some form of ghost? Was he just creeped out? Or did he really believe that humans couldn't do the same damage as they were dealing? It could be that the monsters hadn't seen real humans before; Papyrus certainly hadn't, if you disregarded the other timelines. 

Between their killings and short-lived conversations, the only notable stop they made was to the snowman. It was unusually cruel taking from a living being that couldn't run away, but eating its snow was on the same level as absorbing a monster's exp, with the added bonus of healing. They would need that later on.

It wasn't so much that they enjoyed giving monsters chills or ignoring them, but rather that they wanted to get through this route as fast as possible. At least they had a clear-cut purpose this time. Frisk usually chose to do this out of curiosity or desperation, but they weren't wasting time this time around.

The puzzles were a breeze, the murders were a breeze if they ignored what little conscience they had left, the weather contained a breeze that was a little too cold for a thin striped shirt. Papyrus stood at the end of the iced path, hands on his hips and frown displayed on his face in a worried manner.

"Hey, quit moving while I'm talking to you!" Papyrus ordered. They continued at a brisk pace; slowing down would give them time to regret their next action. 

"I, the Great Papyrus, have some things to say," he explained, "First: you're a freaking weirdo!" Papyrus was rarely unkind, but when he was? He meant it. Frisk sort of knew they were a weirdo, too.

"Not only do you not like puzzles. But the way you shamble about from place to place... The way your hands are always covered in dusty powder." he observed, drawing to an uncomfortable conclusion.

"It feels... Like your life is going down a dangerous path." he raised a hand importantly, "However! I, the Great Papyrus, see great potential within you! Everyone can be a great person if they try! And me, I hardly have to try at all!" he laughed, striking a valiant pose. He reminded them of someone... 

That was enough of that. They began walking again. Papyrus took a step back.

"Hey! Quit moving! This is exactly what I am talking about!" he exclaimed nervously.

"Human! I think you are in need of guidance! Someone needs to keep you on the straight and narrow!" his voice was getting on their nerves.

"But worry not! I, Papyrus... Will gladly be your friend and tutor! I will turn your life right around!" he offered proudly. Just a little further. This clearing was much too long.

"I see you are approaching. Are you offering a hug of acceptance?" a grand display of his docility, "Wowie! My lessons are already working! I, Papyrus, welcome you with open arms!"

They beheaded him.

His skull fell into his outstretched hand, smiling for lack of processing the situation. He coughed dryly.

"W-Well, that's not what I expected..." he rasped.

"But... St... Still! I believe in you! You can do a little better! Even if you don't think so! I... I promise..." he smiled as his remaining head fell into whispy petals of soul essence.

They stared at the pile of dust that was swiftly carried away by the cold wind. If Sans were ever here at this moment, he would remind them that he never made promises. He wasn't here though, and Papyrus was the exact opposite; he didn't understand the cruelty of others. Too naive. Too soft. Forgettable.

This would all be worth it in the end. They had to break a few eggs to make an omelette.


	11. Just finishing chores

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between a cold and catching up on work, finishing this chapter was just... Not happening. And it's pretty dang short as it is. Hopefully there'll be a few more updates next week!

If there was any place they liked more than the ruins, more than the capital, it was waterfall. The water rained down rythmically, reflecting the odd crystal or glowing plant; the dirt and rocks had a blue tinge, giving a calming feel to the atmosphere; and most of the inhabitants of this area lived in the water, so it was always quiet. The only thing that had become more annoying since the 'good old days' was the whispering of echo flowers. They would talk and laugh as the silly voices played back to them- but a conversation they had a long time ago was now stuck in the repeating flowers, there to haunt them as long as they sprouted. Some thought it creepy. Frisk thought it was enchanting. Chara thought it was inconvenient. Especially when the flowers relayed a secret.

Undyne was hot on their trail. Quiet as they walked, their steps would be amplified by the snitching plants. The Captain of the Royal Guard was seeking justice; and she was one of the few monsters who could actually put up a fight.

They had come to a few dangerously close encounters already, but Monster Kid almost always stopped them. He; like Papyrus, like... Many before them; was far too trusting in the good will of other people. He idolized Undyne, but he had befriended Frisk so easily that he didn't realize there was something odd going on with them. It was only when they backed him against the dip of a broken bridge board that he realized the truth. He stood defiantly against his attacker. They struck, knowing full well that they wouldn't hit their target.

"Undyne... You're... You're hurt..." MK stared up at his hero, shocked and guilty. She didn't look at him, shoulders hunched against the weight of her new injury.

"Hurt? It's nothing," she said, more warmly than expected from her, "Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?" 

"Undyne... I..." MK couldn't find the words. He stared at her wound; it wasn't every day that you faced the concept of mortality. 

"I'll take care of this!" Undyne snapped, eager to get the kid out of harms way, "Get out of here!"

He looked briefly towards Undyne's opponent, a desperate plea written in his eyes. He backed away hesitantly before breaking into a run, jumping over the bent board and calling for help. They blocked their ears against the sound of the cries, in turn ignoring Undyne's speech- not that they needed to hear it. It wasn't long before she would pull herself together, ready to face them. Until then, they weren't in the mood for a heartfelt monologue.

Her armor molded into a more intimidating shape, being eroded away by the strong winds of magic tainted with determination. Red glowed faintly in the gusts of her attacks.

"You're gonna have to try a little harder than THAT." Undyne the Undying grinned.

An army of spears rained down on them, altogether chaotic and intricate. Weariness ebbed at Undyne's warrior stance, but she pushed it away with the sheer rage that she presented against them. In the end, it didn't stop them. It would never stop them.

"Damnit..." the instability of her current form was made even more apparent now, the edges of her silhouette wavering, "So even THAT power... It wasn't enough...?" her visible dissappointment in herself had the power to tear her insides out before her attacker did, but she fell into a laugh, brushing it off.

"If you... If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong," she smirked, not in pride, but in promise, "'Cause I've... Got my friends behind me."

All this talk about friends and morals; it was sickening.

"Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you... And that if anything went wrong, she would... Evacuate everyone." Undyne explained. Would nobody learn that talking did no good? It was just a waste of time. She could attack them, now, while they weren't expecting it. 

"By now she's called Asgore and told him to absorb the six human souls," Undyne hunched over, withering slowly into nothing, "And with that power..." her breathing came in strained growls, but even with the tense of her shoulders and the curl of her mouth, her eyes closed gently. 

"This world will live on...!" and she was gone. She couldn't look at them when she left the living. Frisk wondered if she imagined her friends in her dying breath.

The air between Hotland and Waterfall was unusually damp, what with the constant cycle of cool water meeting hot lava. It made the short walk to Alphys' lab seem like a lifetime. 

Mettaton insulted them, utterly disgusted by their actions and finally taking up some form of responsibility. He wasn't as annoying as some of their previous encounters, but they weren't much for charismatic show-hosts. 

The only remotely notable event after that was finally arriving to the core. The very first time Frisk had tried a genocide route, they had both expected Muffet to put up more of a fight. Frisk probably couldn't remember their surprise when that wasn't the case. It was burned into Chara's mind. Muffet was never able to gain their sympathy, but the spiders dependence on her was touching in a childish sort of way.

"My, my. So you've finally arrived." Mettaton stood before them, his metallic body a dull grey under the dim lights of the circular room.

"After our first meeting, I realized something... Ghastly," he revealed, lacking some of his usual flair, "You're not just a threat to monsters... but humanity, as well."

"Oh my. That's an issue. You see, I can't be a star without an audience," he dragged a hand over his head dramatically, "And besides..."

"There are some people... I want to protect." his voice turned low, the last thought being a more private one. They stepped forward.

"Ah ha ha. Eager, as always, eh?" back to his show-business attitude, "But don't touch that dial. There's something you haven't accounted for." and following that, some exposition. Then, a warning:

"Come any closer, and Ill be forced to show you..." pause for dramatic effect, "My true form!" they weren't phased.

They stepped forward, an action that seemed to be the only promise of monsters attacking. Even with all the menace in their glare and the dust tracking from their shoes, the monsters would wait until they stepped forward before stopping them. Before _trying_ to stop them.

"Fine then!"

"Ready? It's showtime!"

One hit. So much for a spectacle.

"Gh..." Mettaton hadn't been expecting that, that's for sure. Still, he kept a straight face. Recording their battle would seem like something he was prone to; _the legendary fight with the human, in which a glamorous robot saves the day, now live on television. Wouldn't that be a sight._

"Guess you don't wanna join my fanclub...?"

Far from it; the farthest.

Now entering New Home, where Flowey would greet them and try to rekindle some old friendship. His efforts would be wasted, just like the rest of his sorry excuse for a life. That Flower, that stupid yellow smiling son of a Dreemurr, that no-good high-voiced moral-lacking rage-inducing narcissistic crybaby- would try to seek an alliance. Would try to earn their pity. At least he had helped them by killing them, forcing them to reset.

'What was it that Mettaton said?' Frisk. They had been offering some of their input during this journey, but Chara had tried to ignore them.

**'Mm?'**

'Change... Change takes time. So I was thinking, maybe- well- I think Sans might have something up his sleeve we could try.'

Right, the plan. Maybe the flower's favor wasn't so helpful, after all.


	12. Avians chirp melodies

"Heya. You've been busy, huh?" the light was harshly warm compared to the Grey of new home, washing onto the marble columns surrounding the two attendees; the judge and the judge-ee. They supposed that wasn't the term for someone present to pay for their crimes, but they never bothered looking it up. They doubted Sans would care.

Sans.

"So, I've got a question for ya," he wasn't quite as bad as Flowey, "Do you think even the worst person can change...?" but he was bad, all things considered.

"That everybody can be a good person, if they just try?" he knew he was bad, because that question wasn't only directed to the human. He wondered if he could make up for giving up.

"Alright." he never did anything, "Well, here's a better question." he wouldn't do anything, not underground, not on the surface, not until it was too late.

"Do you wanna have a bad time?" and then he would send threats that he himself knew were empty, because as skilled as he was, as agile and ruthless, he only had one hp.

"'Cause if you take another step forward..." and he could never be stronger than a human, "You are REALLY not going to like what happens next." so even if he tried-

They step forward, again. A fatal move not for them, but for the monsters they had faced. The monsters' only warning before their bitter end, before their bravery convinced them that they could actually stop a human, and before that bravery dissipated- along with their physical forms.

"Welp." even if the entire underground worked together, "Sorry, old lady."

They could never stop the humans.

"This is why I never make promises."

Sans exposed his soul, beckoning Chara's out for a battle. His soul was the same white as any other, beating faintly to the rhythm of a song; his song. A fast-paced tune that echoed menacingly through the hall when in full volume, revealing one of Sans' strategies; he intimidated and distracted. When his eyesockets turned dark, the crack of the stick earlier; those were tricks to make him seem more threatening than a pile of bones stuck together with Sunday lazy-attire.

"It's a beautiful day outside." he commented. Outside was always the same, because it only applied to 'outside the building', not to the sight of a sky. Still, the weather was never particularly not-beautiful. Except, of course, the few places in Waterfall where rain and condensation leaked from the cave ceiling.

"Birds are singing, flowers are blooming..." he cracked his knuckles, the sound being amplified by the structure of the hall, but still muffled by the pocket of his sweater, "On days like these, kids like you..." 

"Should be burning in hell." first attack, a wall of bones and cannons that was far too difficult to dodge. They were slammed momentarily against the ground, but lifted themselves in preparation for the next attack. It wouldn't do well to dwell during a fight with this skeleton. They swung.

"Marrow-ly missed me." he chuckled, darting out of the way. Try fighting when there's battle music so intense that it's raising your adrenaline and playing into your edginess. His turn; a wave of long bones spinning through their path, ranging from tall to small. They were tossed to the tile floor once again, earning a bad bruise and a rising feeling of agitation.

Sans was quiet. Sometimes he was talkative during these runs, sometimes he wasn't. It depended on how well his memory was serving him. Today was better; today he knew something was up. He was staring at them, a squint to his eyesockets, the pinpricks of light in his gaze faltering in their brightness as he leapt out of the way, keeping his thoughtful expression. They could see the gears turning in that empty head of his.

Luckily, that also meant he wasn't putting his all into his strikes. They almost landed a blow on him that time, and sweat was dripping down the side of his forehead.

His stare became less focused within the next few turns, less awake. His feet dragged more when he dodged. Some bones lagged behind the groups of his attacks, making them less uniform.

'Chara.'

Not now, he was getting tired- they were sure of it. His shoulders slumped just a bit more.

'Chara.'

Did they have to be so insistent? They were almost done. Almost there- and then, when everyone was dead, they would restart the cycle. Good as new.

'Chara!'

An uncontrollable panic filled their mind, not their own emotions and far too parasitic to come from their own thoughts. It was painful, oh god. Getting struck by beams of pure magic over and over was one thing, but this was like getting eaten up from the inside, brain first.

"Stop it!" they screamed with Frisk's voice. Their knees fell to the ground with a crunch, and they curled up, arching their back, tearing at their scalp. Sans was startled back into full awareness, but he didn't register what had happened straight away.

'Stick to the plan, Chara!' Frisk's thoughts were terrified, but still commanding. They shook their head vigorously. Getting their own body sounded appealing at first, but the more they thought about it, the more they worried; what if they wouldn't be able to reset?

"Give me- give me my body!" Frisk was fighting for command now, but they were never _really_ the ones in control- not by this point, anyways.

"What?" Sans was utterly confused now, though they weren't paying attention to him in the slightest.

'Don't you understand-? They deserve to-' 

"See the surface for real!" their barks and shouts and screams jumped between thoughts to spoken form, the objective being to get the point across, regardless of the method.

**'The surface is dangerous-'** Chara protested. They reached for their soul, hoping the contact would lend them some power. 

"Don't make me go up there!" they screamed. Sans shifted his hand, sending a cage of interlocking bones to rise around them, trapping them to the ground like a tipi and stopping most of their movement. They still struggled.

'Chara-'

"Don't stop the cycles!" Chara insisted. Frisk's fear turned to anger.

'I thought they were boring and pointless?' they growled. No, they needed to see-

"They're safe! Nobody dies for real!" after this, if Frisk's plan worked, there would be no more re-doing. Nothing to fall back on.

"Chara, calm down-" Frisk struggled to control their voice, but Chara's desperation and rage won over.

"Shut up!"

"Hey, uh, you okay there... Chara?" Sans watched them uneasily.

The struggling stopped.

"You're Chara like, Chara Dreemurr? The one that uh- died. That's rough, kid." Sans made his way slowly to the tensed shape, uncertain but somehow unthreatened. 

"From the history books I remember- you were buried in a garden somewhere. So what I'm picking up is that your soul is in Frisk's body, right?" 

They raised their head at him, teeth bared, eyes betraying fear and shock at this revelation.

"So how're you doing? You good? Needa talk?" Sans sat himself down in front of them.

Their expression wiped away to a dumb-struck frown. The two stared at each other, before Chara slumped back down, breathing heavily, energy and motivation drained.

The music faded away, echoing off the walls briefly before settling into silence. Chara could feel their ribs being crushed under the weight of the bones holding them in place, but that was the only pain they felt now; Frisk had let up. Somewhere in Chara's protests, they had found some semblance of sense- or, at least, Frisk found pity for Chara's desperateness. God, they had looked stupid just now, hadn't they? They would put on a tough act and talk Frisk down if they could, but they only had strength to breathe.

In, out. The weight lifted a little, and the Judgment Hall, for the first time, was devoid of footsteps, and voices, and judgment. They'd never heard it in this much serenity before.

The birds really _did_ sing sweetly.

"That's alright buddy, talk when you're ready. I'll wait."


	13. Here goes nothing

"Have a plan. Help everyone. Don't know exactly how..."

"Hey, y'know what, that's good enough for me." Sans stood up, bending backwards to stretch his back (earning a gross crack from his bones). He swept his arm gently through the air, and the bone cage holding Frisk down dissipated. They gazed up at him questioningly, not raising themselves right away.

"Well, if you're telling the truth, then we get some kind of happy ending," he explained, putting his hands back into the pockets they called home, "and if you're lying..." he turned his line of sight towards the tall, stained-glass windows, his eyelids sitting heavily against their sockets,

"I couldn't have dodged forever anyhow." Frisk pushed themselves up without another word, ready to continue. Sans snapped to attention, a friendlier ease in his posture.

"Where was it you wanted to go?" he asked.

"True Lab." Sans looked momentarily confused, "Under lab. Near big machine." Frisk clarified. Sans nodded to himself.

"Okay, I think I know a shortcut- hold on-"

A momentary blip, a mere second of barely existing, and they were already in the lab- the True Lab- with the machine. It hung menacingly, draped with tubes and covered in dust- not monster dust, thankfully. The rust gave it a red tint, and along with the ominous lighting in the room, it had a very mysterious aura. Overall, not something one should mess with.

They were going to mess with it.

"Make portable version?" Frisk pointed to the DT extractor, hoping against all hope that Sans' scientific knowledge extended to determination-related mechanisms.

"Okay, uh, not entirely sure how this thing works," Sans scratched his head in a worried manner, "But we'll figure something out."

"Blood needles." Frisk pointed to their inner elbow, where they would get blood tests after doctors appointments. Sans squinted at them for a second, tilting his head.

"21-gauge?" he verified. Frisk nodded.

"21-gauge..." he repeated, "Monsters don't really use needles- cause, like, we don't get those kinds of health problems, and our construction is linked to our soul, and..." his voice receded into mumbling as he started picking up boxes and searching through cabinets. He wandered into the next room over, leaving Frisk by themselves.

'We need to do this Chara. Getting hurt is part of life; we can't keep the monsters stuck in loops just because of mortality.' Frisk turned their attention to Chara, hoping to sort things out while they had a bit of peace.

**'I know. I'm not happy about this, though.'**

'I know. Do you want to talk about it?'

**'Not really. I don't know.'**

'We have time.'

**'Yeah.' **

A sound like a breath,

**'That trashy skeleton saying my name, noticing me- especially by himself, without you telling him about me- was terrifying.'**

'Terrifying?' Frisk was surprised. Of all the emotions Chara imposed upon them, terror was not one of them.

**'Do you know how long it's been since someone talked to me? Other than you.'**

'Long, I guess.'

**'You guess.'** Chara echoed, dryly amused, **'Do you know how long it's been since somebody cared about me?'**

'I care about you.'

Chara paused at this, a 'hm' sound coming from their thoughts.

**'You shouldn't. I've been trying so hard to be a pain to you.'** that was true, and Frisk had hated them for it- but they always remembered the times when Chara was nicer, and they couldn't bring themselves to hold Chara against their crimes. Their narration, teaching them how to weave flower crowns- they had even helped Frisk perfect a moonwalk.

'I don't know. I guess I don't have it in me to stay mad at anyone.' and after all, Chara was a child just like them, weren't they? Children are only ever taught to be mean. That's what Frisk had to believe.

**'Well, I'm mad at Asr- at Flowey, still.'** the words were thought out somewhat reluctantly.

'Really?' Frisk wasn't surprised in the slightest.

**'Yeah. Or, maybe not. I don't know. I don't know anything outside the loops.'** a sigh, **'Just the idea of him...'** Frisk could feel a headache coming on.

**'Nevermind.'**

"I'm gonna take a trip to the dump. I would take ya with me, but I'm kinda spent on magic." Sans reappeared, interrupting Chara's heartfelt revealing of themselves. He was gone as quickly as he had come.

'Chara.'

**'I couldn't explain it if I wanted to. I don't really want to, either.'**

A few more minutes of waiting in the dark, cold, loneliness. Frisk wondered if Alphys had taken the amalgamates along with the rest of the evacuation party. If she hadn't, they were in no rush to greet the human.

"Hey, uh, you good there? I mean, therapy session is still open if ya need it." Sans walked in through the next room, and Frisk cringed at his greeting; therapy was one of the things that had led them to their decision of returning to the mountain. It seemed childish now.

"Right, well, don't be afraid to _patella_ me anything." he winked, but there wasn't much energy behind the gesture. Hard to be enthusiastic when your friends and family are dead or hiding. They would make up for it- not that it was okay, but- they would make up for it.

"So, I found that needle thing- and it's definitely not gonna hold the kinda power this DT machine has," he started, raising the needle up, "But good news, there's an empty soul case in the castle that might do the trick." his gaze fell. He looked absolutely beat, the hollows of his eyes looking more hollow than ever, his hands falling heavily at his sides.

"Looks like I'm taking another shortcut." he chuckled, dread in his voice.

He was back more quickly this time, but he slumped down the moment he arrived. The case fell out of his grip, rolling to rest at Frisk's feet. They picked it up. The sound of snoring filled the eerie quiet of the lab. More than anything, Frisk wanted to get the skeleton snooze for a while; but they really had no idea how the extractor worked, and the sooner they got out of this timeline, the better. They made their way over to the pile of clothes and nudged it. Sans groaned.

"There better be a lifetime of sleeping in my future." he shook his head, propping himself up. Frisk lowered their hand to him. He gave it a skeptic's glance, but ended up accepting it. They hoisted him up, the glass case wobbling dangerously in their one-armed hug of it. Sans made his way straight to the machine, wasting no time in dissecting it.

"We're gonna need a vacuum system to mimic the needle- plus a point of entry. This thing looks more like an injector than a taker-awayer, but I can probably reverse the tube system, and-" he yawned, "You know what, you probably don't need a play-by-play."

Frisk nodded sheepishly. In reality, they were very much interested in the functions of everything Sans was putting together, but they had already asked a lot of him.

"Well this is a disaster." he huffed when he finally finished. The case looked completely different now. A drill-like cone stuck out from the top, a magical glowing net feeding through it and into the case's belly. The vacuum mentioned was stuck to the bottom, along with a pulley system of tubes that raised back into the top. A screen had been pulled from the extractor and duck-taped to the side of the case. Frisk frowned.

"Oh, it'll still work- probably- it just ain't pretty." he chuckled.

**'It looks like it'll fall apart any second.'**

Frisk's frown deepened; they had to agree with Chara, the extractor 2.0 wasn't looking very promising.

"I never claimed to be an engineer." Sans pointed out. Frisk nodded thankfully (and apologetically,) and took the case from him. He looked relieved to have the extra weight out of his hands.

"Now what?" he asked. Well, here's where it got experimental- if it wasn't already.

"Gonna reset," Sans twitched, "But you shortcut at the same time."

His eyes widened, a calculating expression crossing his face as he thought about the order he had just received. It grew to a look of apprehension at what the action would entail.

"So I shortcut with you," he pointed, "'n me, plus that thing I just made- for an extended unknown period, with the risk of being trapped between time and space?" he said. Frisk confirmed, their lips pressed together tightly into a line. It sounded worse out loud.

"I need a nap." Sans groaned, but he took their hand in his. He stole a few deep breaths, eyes closed. Without opening them, he said;

"Ready when you are."

Frisk called upon all the determination they had left in their body, pulling out Chara's soul. They were stuck in darkness, and Sans was gone, but they could feel his hand in theirs. It gripped tighter.

A golden light dragged itself from out of the black, a tear in the fabric of reality (not unlike the checkpoints) that was drawn to the pure power and desire that pulsed from the outstretched soul. Frisk reached up to hold the light. They were ready. They squeezed Sans' hand just as they pressed into the light.

Everything was still black, but it was different this time. This time, they couldn't see themselves, or their soul, or anything. You wouldn't hear a pin drop in this silence; it didn't carry sound, borrowing the unsettling trait of the expansive galactic space. The only sensation was of, once again, Sans' hand. It was accompanied by a pain like all their metacarpals were going to snap, but everything was distant, like watching it happen to someone else. They couldn't breathe. Were shortcuts always like this? Or had they broken the universe once and for all? 

They couldn't die. Not now, not like this, not through gambling the lives of all their friends. Where was that pull? They had to follow the pull, follow the strength of life, feel the grass between their toes and smell the aroma of freshly baked pie and hear the comforting voices of everyone they had left behind.

They had to stay determined.


	14. Did nobody rehearse

The world returned.

Sans fell behind them. They could hear his ragged breathing, but they couldn't bring themselves to drag their eyes from the sight before them. It was the world. They were here. They had made it. Question was; had it worked?

**'The universe's new favorite pastime is scaring me, apparently.'** Chara joked. It still held a bitter edge to it, but it was a start in the right direction. Frisk turned back to Sans; he was rubbing at his eyesockets, pulling himself to a stand.

"Okay?" they asked, reaching out to steady him. He flinched.

"Huh? You-?" he looked down at their grip around his arm, and pulled away from it, "Um- hold on-" he stared at Frisk with wide eyes, a spirit of horror written all over his expression. He shook his head, visibly having to force himself back into a soothed stance.

"I'm good." he was usually better at faking it.

"I'll uh- I'll catch you later, yeah? In snowdin. Just- watch yourself, kid." he winked, and started his tired trudge to his fourth- and most likely final- shortcut of the 'day'. Frisk had half a mind to stop him and make sure he was alright, but they knew it was no use bothering him when he got like this.

**'That was odd.'** Chara commented.

'He's tired. He went from a fight, to sciencey stuff and teleporting stuff. That's a lot of magic and brainpower.' Frisk pointed out. Chara seemed unconvinced. If there was truly anything to worry about, they would deal with it after they finished their journey. Frisk made for Flowey's grass-spot.

He wasn't there.

**'_Very_ odd. You think we didn't really reset?'** Chara wondered. No, no, that couldn't be right. They would have to go all the way back, try something new- if they could. Their heart was exploding out of their chest, they could hear it. Thump thump thump. What if their determination couldn't get them back now? What if they really ruined something in the fabric of reality? Thump thump thump...

Hold on, that wasn't their heartbeat; those were footsteps. Growing louder.

"Oh, child!" it was Toriel, thank god. She looked particularly distressed- though there was no little flower to trigger her anger, so perhaps that would be normal for her. She slid to a halt in front of them, reaching out to hold their face- she drew back.

"My- my apologies, I hope I did not startle you!" she huffed, trying to catch her breath and calm herself, "I am Toriel, caretaker of these ruins. Tell me, what is your name, my child?"

Was Flowey really that big of a variable? Toriel never asked for their name before the end of a pacifistic run (and usually found out without being directly told). This was intriguing, to say the least; and telling her couldn't hurt.

"Frisk." they said, hoping they looked convincingly like a frightened, newly-fallen child. A microexpression crossed Toriel's face, a brief flash of- what was that, recognition? Confusion?

"Are you hurt, Frisk?" she asked, though she wasted no time in checking herself instead of waiting for an answer. They shook their head.

"Well, that is good. Come child, this is no place for a human." Toriel stood up and took their hand. It still ached from earlier, but Toriel's grip was much softer; aided by the fur coating her body.

Everything else passed by relatively normally. Toriel reminded Frisk a bit more regularly of their need to talk instead of fight, and she observed them in a more thoughtful manner than before- but she didn't interrupt their efforts. Finally, they arrived at the pillar, and their goat mother left. 

**'Something's up.'**

"Mhm." Frisk mumbled, already making their way through the rest of the ruins. They would cross their bridges when they got to them; and they would get to talk to Napstablook this time, so that would be nice. Except that Napstablook wasn't blocking their path.

**'Maybe the timelines merged?'** Chara proposed uncertainly. It was possible, but surely Toriel would have noticed something? Or Sans would be back to warn them? Surely?

Toriel didn't look for scratches when they arrived to her house. She looked almost sad.

"Why don't you come inside, my child? I have a surprise for you." she smiled, offering her outstretched palm once again. Frisk accepted it, hoping to fit their hands together in the most comforting manner possible. They would work this out.

Toriel showed them to their room first, then went to the living room. Frisk wasn't in the mood for sleep, and they weren't in the mood to waste time in looking around their childhood home. They went straight to Toriel.

"Hello, Frisk. Did you like your room?" they nodded, "I am glad. Would you like some pie, then?" Toriel asked. Frisk nodded again; there was no need to be rude. Besides, Toriel's pies were delicious.

Toriel returned from the kitchen with a plate of pie in-hand. Frisk took a bite, then wrapped it up in a collection of candy wrappers, and pocketed it for later. They patted their stomach, letting Toriel know that they enjoyed the pastry. She laughed.

"I was hoping you would enjoy it!" she smiled proudly, "Now, what would you like to do? Do you want me to read to you?" she asked, settling into her chair. Frisk shook their head, and her smile faltered.

"Er... We could do some gardening? Find some snails?" she continued. Frisk shook their head.

"How to leave the ruins." they asked. Toriel's gaze darkened.

"Wait here, Frisk. There is something that I need to do." and she was practically gone. For an older woman, she was certainly speedy. Frisk sprinted down the front-foyer stairs two at a time, eager to reach the climactic battle before their release into the public of the underground. Toriel didn't double back to stop them; she kept running right to the end, practically forgetting Frisk was there.

"I know it's rude," Toriel said softly as they arrived, not facing them, "but I checked your stats when you first fell, and... Well, you have much more LOV than I anticipated." so that was why she was acting strange. At least they knew _half_ of their plan had worked; they had forgotten to check their stats when they returned to the world. 

"Which is odd; I know of all the humans that come down here the moment they do," she dragged a paw tiredly over her face, "And yet you gained execution points before meeting any monsters." she threw her paws in the air at this statement, defeated. Frisk wanted to reach out and reassure her, but she turned before they could make any movement. 

"So," she said, "Before I can let you leave..." she looked almost apprehensive as she opened her arms in a ready position, calling out her soul for battle. 

"I must know that your intentions are kind." battle music, "Show me how to understand." fire.

Showing Toriel that they meant no harm would require more than patience; she wouldn't be talkative this time, that was for sure. 

Frisk rolled under a line of flames, starting forward with their arms outstretched. Toriel narrowed her eyes, continuing with the attacks. 

"What are you doing?" she growled as Frisk darted between the fire, coming closer and closer.

"Stay back!" she swung her paws through the air, sending out an inescapable wall of scarring heat. Frisk dropped, pain searing through their body. Toriel made a movement as if wanting to help them, but held herself back. Her shoulders fell in relief when they took a bite of the cinnamon-butterscotch pie, healing over almost instantly.

They went right back up to run past a few more attacks, and they refused to stop until, finally, they reached Toriel. Frisk hugged the motherly figure. They didn't dare look up to see her reaction; they just held on tight, hoping they wouldn't be incinerated. Soon, they felt a familiar embrace being returned to them.

"I am worried for you, child," Toriel pulled away, tucking a strand of Frisk's hair behind their ear, "And in all honesty, I worry for the other monsters as well. We don't deal with humans often." she said softly, though her eyes betrayed a level of certainty to them.

"Help everyone." Frisk assured, placing a hand to their heart in a comforting gesture. Toriel smiled.

"Okay."

The bite of winter was calling, and Frisk was happy to answer it; they were well on their way to the castle now, and they would soon have some friends to back them up. 

Sans didn't meet them near the bars this time, but they wouldn't expect him to greet them a second time. They hoped to see him soon though; it would be good to return to the sequence of events that were usually contained in a pacifist timeline. 

"I- I have to go back! They will come through any minute n-"

"If there's a human today, they'll wait a bit. You have your cool bars in the way."

There were the brothers now. Were they arguing? Papyrus was usually adamant about waiting for humans without taking breaks.

"But they _never_ stop them! Sans, please, what if they're injured?!" hold on, what?

"Bro, chill out, they-"

"I will not _chill out!_ It is as if my memories are all muddled, and I don't know if they were here yet or..." oh, well that explained a thing or two.

**'It makes sense now.'** Chara realized.

"Bro, you're memory isn't whacked. I'm the forgetful one, remember?" Sans was trying to calm his brother down- and his tone was very convincing. He was a good liar.

**'Flowey's gone, Sans was acting weird...'**

"DO I?!" Papyrus would not be persuaded easily. Frisk picked up their pace. Papyrus turned the moment he heard their footsteps in the clearing.

"Frisk! There you are!" he bolted forwards to pick them up. He had tears in the form of icicles gathered at the edges of his eyesockets. 

**'So was Toriel, actually. I wonder why she didn't kill us on the spot?'**

"Oh, I had the most horrible dream that you fell down a lot and that I hurt you and you hurt others- which you would never do of course, because you are very kind and generous and helpful-" he swallowed hard, which was an odd noise for someone without any of the components necessary in swallowing, "But I'm so glad you are alright!" he placed them down, energy still spiked, but fears subdued. 

"Sans wasn't helpful at all, he said that I was imagining things and that he had not seen any humans named Frisk," Papyrus managed to roll his eyes, or mimic the aura to do so, "But here you are now, which means I was _not_ going insane- and thank heavens for that, because if- if-"

Papyrus didn't finish his sentence.

**'I guess we had it coming. They finally remember.'**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that about marks the beginning of act 3(though my math is pretty bad)! I'll try my best to get another chapter up tomorrow.
> 
> Hope everyone's enjoying the holidays!


	15. A good workout

"You- you _are_ Frisk, aren't you?" Papyrus tilted his head nervously. Frisk's mouth went dry; they looked over to Sans for support, but he only shrugged helplessly.

They nodded in confirmation.

"There, see? And you are in perfectly good condition, so we have nothing to worry about!" Papyrus dusted his gloved hands against one another as if to solidify the end of the matter.

**'He seems oddly accepting of the whole 'it was all a dream' theory.'** Chara thought. Frisk agreed, but they weren't about to complain about being given the benefit of the doubt. They likely wouldn't be so lucky with their future encounters.

_Ring ring_

"Hello?" Papyrus slid his phone from out of his scarf and held it up to the place where his ear would be. He pulled it away almost instantly with a wince, and though it wasn't on speaker, Frisk could hear incomprehensible shouting from the other end of the line. Speak of the devil.

"Undyne, please don't yell! And slow down, I cannot understand a _word_ of what you are saying!" Papyrus cried, but to no avail. The shouts continued, rapid and freaked out.

"Wait at home, stay safe, and DON'T look for humans! I MEAN IT!" Frisk managed to make out the last few orders.

"Undyne, hold on!" but she had already hung up. Papyrus' mouth was agape; he stared at the phone for a few moments before shoving it angrily into his scarf.

"I have a feeling we're in trouble." Sans chuckled, dreadful of the fish warrior's next mood. She was probably on her way as they spoke, spear in-hand and scowl on-face. Papyrus exchanged a concerned glance with his brother before turning back to his anger.

"Honestly, I wish she wasn't so loud all the time!" he huffed, crossing his arms. He started making his way back to Snowdin, Sans at his heels, and Frisk decided it would be safer to join them.

"Well, hey; it's something you have in common." Sans grinned, enjoying the release of teasing his brother after some unfavorable tension. 

"Perhaps, but my projection is accompanied by enunciation! And diction!" Papyrus insisted, finger pointed upwards matter-of-factly. Sans shrugged.

"Yeah, you're cool like that." he smiled.

"Can you please use a different adjective? I have a sneaking suspicion that your words of praise double as-"

"PAPYRUS! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY HOME!" that was incredibly quick. Undyne was already waiting for them from the far end of Snowdin, donning a full suit of armor and a stare that could kill. Frisk cowered behind the taller skeleton.

"I, the great Papyrus, am more than capable of my patrolling duties!" Papyrus argued, shifting his feet defensively in order to guard the human child. He probably didn't understand why Undyne was mad, but he knew that she was dangerous to Frisk; she wouldn't hesitate in hurting someone if she believed them to be evil.

"Move, so I can take that punk to the king." Undyne marched forward, getting closer and closer. She wasn't merciful enough to take them to the king. Frisk was trying to think of what to do, but it was hard to come up with ideas when there was a terrifying Captain-of-the-Guard on her way to kill you.

"I-I am sorry, Undyne, but! I cannot do that." Papyrus argued nervously. Undyne stood nose-to-nose with him now, growling.

"That was an order." she said, fins flaring.

"Hey, _cold up_, no need for a _snow down_." Sans popped himself between the two, pushing them apart as best as he could. Frisk was grateful for the extra distance, even if it wasn't much.

"Papyrus, that kid could do serious damage if you let it run free." Undyne persisted, swatting Sans away with ease. He stumbled back, rubbing his head. Well, now was a good a time as any to run for it.

"They have a name!" Papyrus cried, ignoring Undyne's demands, "And- and they wouldn't hurt anyone! Not even Jerry! I'm- I am sure of it!"

"HUMANS ARE DANGEROUS!" Undyne bellowed. It was a wonder they could hear her voice from this range- though she was exceptionally good at yelling, as demonstrated several times during the last few minutes. Soon, her alarming outrage was too far to alarm- she was so fixated on convincing Papyrus of their treachery, that she forgot about keeping an eye on them.

**'Close call. Maybe lay low? See if the riverperson is at their station yet.'** Chara suggested helpfully. Chara was mostly unruffled by the encounter, though they more than grasped the urgency of the situation. Frisk ran past the more secluded houses (the monster children usually playing there were indoors), reaching the river- and yes, the riverperson was there.

"Tra-la-la, care for a ride?" they hummed. Frisk nodded, leaping on and motioning for them to hurry.

"Hotland." they requested before being asked. They would go straight to the capital; Alphys definitely wasn't going to help them if she, too, had remembered all their previous actions.

It was a quick trip; the boat raised itself into a dog-like shape, cutting through the water with ease, and the river was one straight line. They thanked the riverperson and jumped out, sprinting to the first elevator, where-

Oh. Right.

**'Lasers. You know, we probably should have figured out how to disable these things.'** Chara pointed out. Frisk groaned, unaided by the extra commentary, and ducked around the lasers' orbs to see if there was a manual switch on them. No, that would be too easy.

"Trying to sneak through our defenses, darling?"

**'Just what we needed.'**

Frisk turned slowly to face Mettaton, who wore a disdainful expression despite the lack of face. His arms were crossed, at least. Mettaton moved forward, and Frisk cowered back. This was not what they needed- Mettaton was tireless, they couldn't get into a fight with him now.

"Relax." he grunted glamorously, holding out an arm. Frisk stared in confusion, before they spotted the small device in his hand. Atop it rested a yellow button- and atop that yellow button rested Mettaton's thumb. There was a click, and the lasers sizzled out.

"I don't fully trust Alphys on this," he explained, "And I certainly don't trust you, but she seems to think we have nothing to lose by helping you to the capital. She has it stuck in her head that you have some grand plan." he sighed dramatically. Frisk gave him a wary thumbs up, making an attempt to escape before being pulled back by the collar of their shirt.

"It's rude to interrupt a performance." Mettaton hissed, "If you make her regret trusting you, I will personally end your pitiful existence. Alright?"

**'Better nod.'**

Frisk nodded. Mettaton set them down.

"I would tell you to go get 'em, but I don't know who you're going to get. So... Break a leg." he waved them off, a threatening tone still looming over his well-wishes. Frisk sprinted forwards, aiming to get to the third level, where they would go straight through the hotel and into the Core. They just had to wait through a bit of elevator music.

**'Charming. Appropriately awkward, but charming.'** Chara laughed. Frisk was just itching to get out of there. The doors opened with a _ding_, and they continued. Muffet wasn't at her stand, and neither was the monster customer with the mental breakdown. Muffet wouldn't be interested in risking her life or the lives of her spiders. 

Frisk hopped over the vents with ease, and ran through the spider den with a masterful avoidance of any cobwebs. Mettaton's stage was empty, the nicecream guy wasn't here yet, and the hotel was in sight. They ran through, startling the greeter and patrons, and exited onto the balcony.

They had to take a breather in the Core; running in Hotland was not an exercise to be taken lightly. Or at all, if avoidable.

Just a little farther. Their legs felt like gelatin now, and they could really go for a glass of water. Left, forward, right, forward, right, forward, right. They glimpsed a few monsters on their way to defend the Capital entrance, but they were determined to evade them. Forward, through the dark stageroom (with some air conditioning, thank god), and finally, there it was.

The elevator to the capital.

Frisk slumped down, relaxing as the space became cooler and cooler during its journey away from Hotland. Finally, the doors opened and they entered the grey-brick halls. They came shortly upon the view of the city.

**'It's as dull down there as it is up here.'** Chara sniffed, **'The monsters in 'the Capital of Boring' are the closest things you'll get to humans.'**

'But didn't you live in the Ruins at the time?' Frisk asked. History was a bit muddled to them, but they doubted Toriel would let Asriel stray all the way to the ruins, where he found Chara, if they lived in the Capital.

**'Good eye for continuity, huh? The move to the capital happened shortly after my fall. Construction was in progress before I even arrived, and I remember hating the idea of going back to a city.'** Chara explained.

'Was it really that bad?' Frisk wondered. They couldn't imagine a city of monsters being too horrible.

**'The other places have fake stars and beautiful wildlife. The Capital is the deepest place in the underground, the most cave-ish. The monsters started forgetting friendship when they moved down there, and they fed off of gossip. No silver linings for them, just grey clouds.'**

'Oh.'

**'Yeah. I blamed the humans for that.'** Chara didn't need to tell Frisk twice; they understood their feelings towards their species.

'You didn't know about the monster-human war before you fell though- and I doubt anyone else did, either.' Frisk observed.

**'Your point?'** Chara asked impatiently.

'The humans forgot about the monsters, but the monsters in the Capital became bitter about their lives. Their situation was and is a horrible one, but they also refuse to see the good in anything.'

**'It's kind of hard to find good.'** Chara laughed dryly. This was beginning to feel like their old arguments.

'What about the Ruins, or Snowdin, or Waterfall, or Hotland? They're not happy, obviously, but they make the most of what they have. Outside forces may affect your decisions, but they don't force them. You are accountable for your actions, too.' that's party why Frisk was on this journey; if they saved Asriel, they would be one step closer to making up for all of the wretched things they did.

**'So why don't you want to wipe out the humans?'** Chara evidently thought they were going to get some 'greater good' answer.

'Why would I want to restart a war with people who don't remember it? I know I'm not better than them, but I want to try to be.' was Frisk's genuine answer.

**'We're here.'**

The door to the Asgore's garden stood proudly ahead of them. Asgore was nowhere to be found. They walked ahead.

What was that noise? It wasn't coming from them. It was like... Footsteps. Like lots of footsteps. Running. And shouts?

"U-Undyne, listen to P-Papyrus! There's no use g-getting into a f-fight right n-now!" Frisk could glimpse Alphys from the other room, tugging on Undyne's arm to slow her down. Papyrus soon caught up, following her actions.

"I fail to understand what you are all doing here, especially you, T-"

"Did you not see the visions, Asgore? My child could be in danger." Toriel pushed ahead of the rest of them, resolute. She reached the clearing first, with nobody to stop her. Undyne was next, held back by Alphys and Papyrus. Asgore followed, flustered.

"Hey, could you- slow? Down? Dang..." Sans lagged behind. Toriel's paws went to her mouth in a gasp of relief, seeing her child unharmed. Undyne stopped struggling, but her glare was resilient- the last four attendees looked tired and apologetic. Well, this was it, the final stand. 

**'It's good they're all here, or else he might not have come.'** Chara stated darkly. Shrieks, vines, and the man- or flower- of the hour,

"You Idiots!"

Flowey.


	16. Varying levels of nuisance

Flowey gripped the gathering monsters in his sturdy vines, crushing them just enough to lock them in place and make them uncomfortable, but not enough to do any real damage. He needed their souls intact if he was going to pull off his usual evil plan.

"I have the human souls! And obviously, soon I'll have everyone else's souls too!" he tipped his head with a wink. Frisk wrinkled their nose.

"You're probably wondering why I'm still going through with this plan, huh?" Flowey giggled, "You know all my moves at this point!"

**'He's very cheerful about that fact.'** Chara noticed- though it wasn't uncommon for Flowey to pull these taunting speeches. He was going to turn the tables any minute now, delivering a threat with a happy attitude. 

"But what you _don't_ know, is that this time? I'm gonna win. Because I know all _your_ moves, too!" he wriggled gleefully on his stem, "Golly, I missed remembering all the timelines! I don't know what you did, but this is great!" Flowey had a sick sense of humor; this was all a game to him. But then, he didn't own the soul that was required in order to have compassion and hope. That's what Frisk was here to fix.

"You know what else is cool? Even If I don't win..." he pulled up two vines on either side of him, acting as arms, "It doesn't matter! Because you keep coming back to me, again and again!" he used those vines to mimic an irritating performance of jazz-hands. Frisk's stomach dropped; he wasn't wrong. They couldn't trust their own willpower to keep them away from Mt. Ebott. Maybe this was all a waste of time. Maybe they would reset even after they helped Flowey. Maybe Asriel wasn't enough. Maybe this plan wouldn't even work in the first place.

**'Hey,'** Chara snapped them to attention, **'I may hate your plan with every fiber of our soul, but we've come so far already. You're seriously gonna lose that signature determination _now_?'** they scoffed. The words were sharp, but the tone was warm- and it calmed Frisk to a certain degree. They focused back onto their target.

"-And any second now," he had been rambling for some time, "The rest of the underground will pile into here! I can't imagine they'll be super happy with you, but they'll be here." he promised. Then, there was a thundering noise, like a colony of scurrying mice, but amplified ten times over. Flowey turned his head to the noise with an expectant smile.

The general population of Mt. Ebott burst into the clearing.

"Did you hear?"

"And those weird dreams."

"They're prophecies!"

"There, the Queen!"

"I can't believe it. And the human!"

"We're here to help!"

"I'm not!"

"What's going on? I just followed the crowd."

Flowey's smile spread wider, and he turned slowly on his stem to face Frisk. He broke into laughter.

"They're all so stupid!"

Frisk fell under the weight of a sudden great rumbling, like an earthquake that could shatter the entire mountain in half. They shut their eyes just before a harsh white light blasted through their lids, blinding and ethereal. They waited for the light to fade before opening their eyes again.

Asriel- the almost-real Asriel- stood, his back turned to them. He rolled his shoulders. He clenched his fists. He was here.

"Asriel." Frisk pushed themselves up and reached out to him.

"It's less fun when you've done it a million times... But being a flower is so awful." he said softly, putting his paws out in front of himself to examine them. He lowered them and turned.

"Chara, you're there too, right?" he asked, "Howdy. Do you remember me?" he stared into Frisk's eyes, but he wasn't looking at them- rather, he was looking somewhere past them. Through them.

"Asriel, we can help." Frisk stepped forward.

"I'd like _them_ to say it," he dismissed them sharply, though not necessarily angrily, "Don't you know my name? It's me."

His fur unfurled itself like petals, pearly and unnatural, as he blossomed into a more intimidating shape. He donned the Delta Rune. His family crest.

"Asriel Dreemurr." he grinned maliciously. Battle music played, but it wasn't his. It was the anthem of the entire underground, gathered into one legendary being, pushing them forward. It was terrifying. He had turned into a beast. Asriel exploded with various colors from the sheer power he held, and those colors danced off the walls. Colors.

_The rainbow is crying. The rainbow is screaming for help._

They would get Asriel out of this mess. This wasn't him; not really. Frisk had to remember their goals, their hopes and dreams for the monsters, for their friends, for Asriel, for Chara.

This not-really-Asriel sent a rain of fire onto them; borrowed from his parents, of course. Magic seemed to be a familial thing, for the most part. They wondered if Asriel would be able to perform spells after he was given his own soul, or whether he would have to relearn it. Were monster children born knowing their abilities?

Next, a cascade of stars were called upon to crash onto them, adding to the psychedelic experience. They weren't really stars, Frisk noted; just what a child might imagine stars looking like. Asriel had never seen a night sky.

"Are you never going to fight back?!" Asriel shouted, swords materializing into his hands. He swung them ruthlessly, narrowly missing Frisk. He growled and wasted no time in summoning a cannon- which, much like Gaster Blasters, beamed out pure magic. Now that Frisk thought about it, the cannon looked somewhat like a needle. Was Asriel afraid of needles? Well, that was unfortunate.

"I knew it!" he shot them with bolts of merciless magic, "You're just bidding your time, right?" Stars, "Well too bad!"

Asriel's weapons dissipated. He expanded and distorted, glowing once again with his hazardous godly light, until he reformed into his... Well, his final form. His mismatched mechanical-looking body was vaguely shaped into the Delta Rune, and his wings now caught and held all of the passionate colors within themselves. 

"I'm not wasting any more time. I'm not letting you gather your strength." he cackled, shooting them with fireballs. Over and over and over, interlocking, and they couldn't move. They died.

But then they didn't. Frisk felt their soul pull itself together, aided by the unnatural force of their pure determination. They felt Chara's will for them to keep going, felt them on their side, staring Asriel down with the same perseverance, integrity, and- yes- compassion.

"I... I don't understand." Asriel paused, horror-stricken.

"They're supposed to be forgetting you. They're not forgetting you," Asriel stared at them, "You're not forgetting you either, are you?"

Frisk shook their head.

"_WHAT DID YOU DO?!_" he roared, but didn't wait for an answer, providing himself with a torrent of magic. Fire. Stars. Beams. Lightning. Fire. Hate, hate, hate, death, death, death. Wave after wave. Frisk felt their body ripping itself apart and putting itself back together, determined. Asriel didn't, wouldn't let up. They couldn't do this.

It hurt so much. They could feel their strength draining with each kill, each display of raw power and anger. They came here to save him, but he wouldn't be saved. But they had to, they had to help him, had to help everyone. But they couldn't do it, not alone.

Frisk screamed for lack of better things to do. They couldn't move, couldn't stop dying. Asriel scowled and continued his attacks.

"You really think they'd want to fight with _you?! After everything you did?!_" he yelled, rage burning in his eyes and attacks burning in his hands. They were weaker this time. The souls could hear them. This was it!

They called for help.


	17. Hope pays

But nobody came.

They died, and called out again. But nobody came.

They died, called, but nobody came.

Again.

But nobody came.

Again.

But-

"Frisk?"

Asgore stood in the front of an army of monster citizens, all dazed, unsure, or deadpan-determined. Time had stopped momentarily; Frisk had managed to pull them all into the nothingness between reality, where they could talk without the rage of battle.

"I think you owe us all an explanation." Asgore continued, though he wasn't stern. Frisk agreed.

"Remember the loops?" they asked.

"Yes, I believe we can all remember them now." Asgore nodded solemnly. Frisk needed to think about the best way to say this. It would need a lot of explaining, and they wanted to conserve their voice as much as possible.

"Did horrible things," they had to start with an apology, "And have no excuse. Sorry. Really." they looked the king in the eye. He stared back, hesitant to respond.

"I had hoped that you would say something else," Toriel spoke up from behind him, her eyes sparkling from the threat of tears, "I had heard stories of monsters being given premonitions and visions, so I thought that might be it. I thought I was just seeing what _could_ happen. But..." she trailed off, burying her face in her sleeve. Asgore watched her for some seconds before Undyne spoke up with the next question for Frisk,

"Do you expect us to just- what- forgive you?" she growled. Frisk shook their head.

"You have more exp than you should." Asgore commented, disappointment staining his voice more than anything else.

"Needed strength to call all of you." Frisk defended.

"Why?" Asgore asked, squinting in genuine curiosity.

"Want to do something good. Want to save your son." Frisk said. Toriel went rigid, lifting her sight to stare at them in a strange mix of confusion and horror. Asgore mimicked her expression, finally caught of guard.

"Asriel? How do you...?" he muttered.

"Flowey is him. He absorbed your souls just now because he lost his." Frisk spoke slowly; they hated how bluntly they had to put this, but they didn't have the time nor ideas to lay it all out gently.

"My memory seems to still be fuzzy around that particular interim." Asgore mumbled, placing a paw over his mouth in thoughtfulness. Frisk took this time to pull out the needle-like DT extractor 2.0, ready to explain the next step in their plan.

Toriel regarded the new item with suspicion, embers gathering in her hands. 

"Think I can make a new soul with this." Frisk said.

"I knew it!" the gathered monsters turned to the new voice; Alphys, who immediately shrunk into her lab coat, "I-I mean- you were a-asking all these q-questions, and I already knew a-about Flowey s-so..." she clicked her claws together with a nervous smile.

"You _knew_ about th-?!" Asgore raised his hand to stop Toriel's outburst, urging Frisk to continue.

"Take just enough soul from every monster, and give it all to Asriel." It sounded so much more crazy out loud.

"Are you sure this will work?" Asgore asked. Frisk hesitated, then shook their head. Asgore dipped his nose, lost in decisions, before raising it high and addressing his citizens.

"As you all have just heard, there is a chance that Toriel and I could get our son back," Asgore started, "But that would require a small sacrifice from everyone here. I would understand if anyone wishes to be left out of this; we have no reason to trust this human or their experiment." murmurs rose from the crowd- of agreement, of unease, of revolt. Frisk had a strong urge to run from this entire situation.

"Those of you who would be willing to lend a portion of their soul to this- we would greatly appreciate if you stepped forward." Asgore finished, searching his sea of citizens with hopeful eyes.

One by one, parts of the crowd sectioned off to present themselves to their beloved king. A decent chunk had offered by the end of it, but there were many who had stayed behind.

"Ready?" Frisk asked, raising their device. The group drew back slightly.

"Perhaps it would be better for someone else to do this?" Asgore suggested, "Alphys? You are our Royal Scientist."

"Oh- u-um." Alphys frowned. Undyne put her hand on Alphys' shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

"Hey, I can do it!" Gerson pushed ahead, seeing Alphys' discomfort, "Slow makes a steady hand." he grinned. Frisk passed the device to him. Truthfully, they were glad to be free of this particular responsibility.

"I suppose I will be the test subject for this." Asgore said reluctantly, kneeling down to Gerson's height. He closed his eyes and called upon his soul. It glowed faintly, but was not accompanied by music; rather, silence overtook them as everyone waited with baited breath. Gerson fitted the tip of the needle to Asgore's soul, and pulled back gently; the monitor taped to the barrel flashed on, displaying a reading of the king's stats. His maximum health dropped from 3500 to 3496. Asgore flinched. Gerson stopped.

"You alright there?" he asked, pulling the extractor out.

"Yes, I am fine." he grunted, standing up and brushing himself off. Nobody moved, hesitant now that they knew the effects of soul extraction. The case meant for a soul was now filled with pure magic- not attack magic, not expressive magic- but the very essence of Asgore. It continued to glow, but now held a faint mix of red, yellow, cyan, and orange in its hue.

Toriel stepped forward and crouched down without a word, following Asgore's actions. Her expression was one of pain, remembrance, and hope. Her maximum health decreased, her soul colors were added to the ones already in the case, and she moved aside to allow the next monster to come forward.

When it was all over, the case was full. When it was all over, Frisk felt empty. Whether it was from the gravity of the situation or the sheer willpower it took to keep all of the monsters here, out of battle, they weren't sure.

**'Time to call on him. You think he'll listen?'** Chara asked.

'If he's still in there somewhere, he will.' Frisk answered.

"I will call him." Frisk announced. The king and queen both nodded, and the rest of the population stared intently.

Then they were gone. Frisk couldn't hold them all together in one place any longer- and they decided it would be best to talk to Asriel alone, first.

"What did you do? Did you reset? I felt time shift." Asriel gritted his teeth- there was a nervous edge to his voice. Frisk called his name.

"Shut up! You really think that's gonna bother me now?" he demanded, attacking. Frisk called his name again.

"You're going to die until you give up." more attacks, no less painful than the last few. They weren't getting through to him.

"Asriel, stop it." Frisk felt an overwhelming annoyance- and perseverance- seize their body; Chara had taken over. Asriel paused in is barrage, eyes narrowed, fists raised in readiness.

"That sounded more like..." he whispered- though his voice still boomed with his sheer power.

"Yeah, it's me. Would you stop being such a dummy? I want to talk to you." Frisk released their control completely, letting Chara cross their arms. Asriel stared. Then he dipped his head. Then he was Asriel; the real Asriel, the little monster child with the striped shirt and the tears in his eyes.

"C-Chara?" he whispered, and it was a real whisper this time. Chara was gripped with rage, and fear, and love, and memories all at the same time, and it took all their effort to keep their voice flat when they spoke to their brother.

"Hi. Look, you don't have much time- we'll speak again soon, but you have to do everything I say." Chara ordered. Asriel's fur was matted with tears that wouldn't stop falling, but he nodded his head quietly.

"You have to break the barrier and release the souls. You wont turn into a flower right away, so you have to run right back to dad's throne room as fast as possible." Chara explained in a rush.

"W-Why?" Asriel asked. Chara shook their head.

"Don't ask questions." they said. Asriel nodded more vigorously this time, rubbing his eyes against his palms forcefully. Frisk urged them to comfort him, but Chara fought back. They couldn't, not yet. Maybe not ever.

"See you soon." he murmured, and opened his posture to the chill nothing. He rose up with the pull of the souls inside of him, magic flowing freely through every limb, surging forward to crack and crack and crack at the barrier, until- the barrier was broken.

Asriel sank back down, his breathing needing time to settle after the action. He glanced in their direction before walking into the dark.

***

"Did it work?" Papyrus' voice, sharp in their ears. They were in for a major headache.

"Doesn't look like it." Undyne, sounding less than thrilled.

"It seems we lost a child, instead of gaining one." Asgore. Okay, enough was enough; Frisk peeled their eyes open, blinking against the light shining through the cave walls. Everyone stared as they pushed themselves up; it seemed the general population had flocked to the outside world at the break of the barrier, though the usual set of friends was still with them. They looked to Toriel; she was still giving them the cold treatment, though there was a quill of worry in her tensed shoulders.

"Almost. Wait here. I'll be back." Frisk jumped to their feet and hurried back to the throne room. 

"You can't just-!"

"U-Undyne, h-hold on."

They reached the room, sat down in the flowers of the garden, and waited. Soon, footsteps came through the opposite hall. Asriel walked in, wringing his hands.

"So...?" he prompted. Frisk stood up and pulled out the jar of pure soul magic, presenting it to him.

"Make yourself a soul." they explained. He stumbled backwards.

"W-What? How- how did- I mean- wait..." he scrunched up his face, going quiet for a few seconds before meeting their gaze again, "Frisk, I don't deserve this."

"You do." he had to, or else this will have all been for nothing. Or else they wouldn't have their friend, and Chara wouldn't have their brother, and the Dreemurr family wouldn't be complete.

"No. I did horrible things as a flower. They'll never forgive me. I don't think I want them to." Asriel insisted, and Frisk understood. Or perhaps a deeper part of them understood- maybe the part of them that wasn't really them.

"Not you," Frisk laid the extractor down and placed a hand on Asriel's shoulder, "I want to know _you_. Everyone misses _you_. The _real_ you."

"Frisk..." his eyes flooded. Frisk pulled him into a hug.

"I don't know if I can even... I don't know if I can absorb it. It's not a solid soul- and I only absorbed souls as a flower," he grunted, "Well, not _only_ as a flower." he pulled away from the hug.

"Take your time." Frisk told him, holding his shoulders firmly. He blinked rapidly, then dropped to the dirt, defeated.

"Okay." Frisk sat down next to him. As time passed, they pulled up some of the flowers and started to weave a flower crown. Asriel glanced at them, and soon joined them. His motions were a little more clumsy, and he couldn't remember exactly how to do it, but they helped him. When they finished one, Asriel said-

"I think I'm changing back. I feel so empty."

Sure enough, little thorns were poking through his body, and a yellow color peaked out from under the fur of his ears.

"Try now?" Frisk pushed the magic-filled case towards him hopefully. He took it and laid his hands to it. He had that familiar serenity that monsters usually had when pulling out their souls (for non-battle uses), but of course, he himself had no soul to present.

He was glowing again, but his body wouldn't stop transitioning into that of Flowey. Vines pulled at his crouching form, and he narrowed his eyes, clutching his stomach.

"You- you idiot. This was such a bad idea-"

Frisk hugged him for the second time today- though it was much less comfortable. The thorns struck at their skin, but they held him tight.

"Let go! I'm just gonna hurt you." he sounded angry, but he was trembling. Frisk didn't let go. Then they felt Chara tugging at their mind, so they let the control of their body relax.

"Asriel, it's me. You got this."

"I'm sorry. I failed you again." he sobbed. He was scratching at their back now.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Chara said sharply, "Nothing was your fault, okay? Just push through this. Don't put this work to waste." Asriel took in huge gulps of air, calming his breathing. Slowly, the thorns shaved off of him. The vines loosened.

"I believe in you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Won't be posting tomorrow cause of new years, whoops- but we're nearing the end? Two more chapters or so? Maybe? Yeah.  
Hope everyone has a good new years eve! The prospect of 2020 is terrifying. (Also the prospect of ending this is terrifying haha)


	18. A clean knot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very long wait :,)  
This chapter may or may not be a little rushed, but I have been... Very busy... And I didn't want to keep anyone waiting for yet another week. So, yeah!  
There's one more chapter after this :)

Frisk held Asriel's hand tightly, and he held back with the same pressure, with the same fear and anticipation.

Toriel and Asgore stared. The others were gone; outside. It was just the four of them, in the last room before the reveal of their new surface home. None of the four moved, frozen in time; the time that Frisk vowed to never play with again, if they could help it.

Toriel broke away first, lowering herself into trembling knees so that she was face to face with her son. She brought her shaking paws to his face, gazing into his eyes as if unbelieving of the soul that they held within themselves. She cried.

Asriel took her hands into his own, away from his face. He looked just about ready to throw himself onto his mother, hug her until she suffocated, but there was still hesitation in his stance.

"M-mom?" he whispered, and Toriel burst into tears. She pulled him into an embrace, and he relaxed against the familiar support of her shoulders; his eyes were dry, but they were wrinkled closed with fierce with loneliness and love. Frisk thought it would be best to leave them, now that they knew everyone was safe.

Asgore placed a heavy hand onto Frisk's shoulder as they passed him. He said nothing. He nodded curtly. Frisk understood, and they carried the same admiration and thankfulness as they watched Asgore join his family, almost out of sight now that the outside world drew near.

"Well?! Did it work?! Is there a mini Asgore?!" Papyrus asked the moment they stepped into the sunlight. Evidently, he had been waiting impatiently at the entrance of Ebott during the last half-hour. Frisk nodded, and it was the most sure thing they had done in a very long time.

"That is so cool! You two will go to school together now, yes?! If you need tutoring, the Great Papyrus is always ready to help!" he offered excitedly. Frisk smiled weakly.

"I think what they need's a long nap." Sans walked in from behind Frisk, startling them. They agreed though; a long sleep would do nicely right about now.

**'You're forgetting something?'**

Frisk felt their stomach drop. Right, they had made one other promise. A promise to themselves for Asriel, and a promise to Chara for themselves. Giving up their body was the only way to convince Chara to play along. They would need to break the news to the king and queen; they had only gotten their son back, and they were about to receive the return of the second child. 

As if on cue, the Dreemurr family exited the mountain. Toriel was leading Asriel by the hand, and Asgore followed shortly behind. There was an awkward distance between the family, even now. Asriel would have to adjust to having separated parents; they hadn't accounted for that.

Sans patted Papyrus on the arm, and they started walking down the mountain, giving them all further space.

"Have something to say. That okay?" Frisk asked, aware they were interrupting the fog of safety over the family.

"Of course." Asgore said.

"Can also bring back your other child." once again, they were not prone to softening their delivery. The adults didn't reply. Asriel didn't meet their gaze.

Frisk pulled out their soul- or really, not their soul.

"This is Chara's. Take this soul, transfer it to another body." they were speaking more specifically to Asgore, who had experience in harvesting human souls. He furrowed his brows.

"But- Frisk, you will not remain afterwards." he said. Frisk nodded. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Tori? What is your decision?" he asked. She regarded Frisk distantly- not cold, per say, but lacking in the motherly love she once had for them.

"I do not know." she rasped. They turned to Asriel, but he turned away.

**'Frisk, forget it. I didn't really want a body anyways.'**

No, they were going to keep their promise.

"You're both my friends," Asriel said softly "Can't we just make another soul?" he tensed, hope and hopelessness gambling in his tone. Toriel and Asgore exchanged glances.

"I suppose we could put it up to another vote." he complied. Well, that was all Frisk could ask for- and much, much more than they deserved, in retrospect.

**'Just so you know, I'm rooting for you.'** Chara assured as they made their way down the rocky trail, lagging a few paces behind the three monsters. They could see the heads of the mountain's population not too far into the distance; the path circled around the mountain, and they ended up on a ledge directly above and away from the monsters. They had caught up quickly; the groups hadn't started their descent right away.

Undyne had been leading the primary group, though she ordered them to halt when she saw the approaching party. Her eyes scanned over Asriel, but her expression didn't change; unreadable. Mettaton, also near the front of the group, looked just about ready to burst into squeals at the sight of the younger goat-monster. Asgore cleared his throat, looking down at the spread-out crowd.

"We have our son, and for that, we are ever thankful. To those who have contributed, to those who have hoped, and to Frisk," Asgore called to his citizens, "And because of this thankfulness, we must pause in our rejoice."

Murmurs filled the crowd. The monsters were accustomed to gossip, living in a small space for so long. The king waited.

"We have a way to bring back our other child, Chara; though it requires the sacrifice of Frisk," gasps, "We know that we can successfully create a soul, so we are leaving the option of saving Frisk in your hands- and general limbs."

Toriel stepped forward, shielding her son from the view of the voting (whether this was intentional or not was unclear).

"If you think they deserve another chance, please group into the left. Group into the right if you disagree." she motioned. Some of the monsters immediately filed into their lanes, while others were less definite. Frisk's friends- the ones they had once considered family- were at the head of the crowd now, looking supremely unsure of themselves.

"I-If anyone knows something about s-second chances, it's m-me," Alphys was the first to speak, with the notion that she should share her reasoning, "and I... I think you need a second chance? You're not a-all bad. I think." she smiled sadly and shuffled over to the left. Undyne's fins drooped. Some more monsters joined the right side.

"I, for one, agree!" Papyrus piped up, hands on his hips, "You cannot be all bad, because you have done something very good! And you are willing to sacrifice yourself! That is a very heroic thing, so it must be proof of your capability to change!" and he marched to the left to join Alphys. She glanced at him thankfully.

"Man, I don't get those two doofuses," Undyne closed her eyes, shaking her head, "I don't trust you. I'll never forgive you for all the resets. But I trust my best friends, and if they want you to stick around... Well, I'll just have to keep my eye on you, punk." she grinned threateningly, keeping her sight trained on them as she moved to the left. A few citizens joined her- mostly guardsmen.

Mettaton busted forward, "Well, isn't this dramatic! Darling, you have been a real peach, but I don't like the idea of starting from scratch over and over- I'd like to keep my fan-driven empire in its most glorious state! Oh, the sacrifices we go through for fame... I will truly miss you!" he joined the right. A swarm of citizens followed.

"Uhm..." Napstablook opened his mouth to explain himself, looked wistfully over to Mettaton, then joined the opposite side.

"You've been a formidable customer for the most part~" Muffet winked all of her left eyes, then joined the same side. More and more, monsters arose to share their experiences and thoughts on Frisk's past and fate, either scarred by the genocides or hopeful from the pacifists. Sans was last- because of course he was. He stood timidly, thoughtfully, in the back of the crowd. His pupils were dim, his smile wavered.

"I'd like to agree with Paps," he rasped, "But I'd be lying if I didn't say I'd feel safer with you outta the game. I sorta looked dumb, looking back. So, uh, sorry. See you in another universe, if all goes well." and he walked over to the right.

"That is everyone." Asgore whispered. Everyone remained quiet as he counted the heads. Minutes passed, Frisk stared at the hands in their lap.

"There is a lean to the left. You may stay."

Frisk had expected to be relieved once they received their answer, but they didn't know how to feel at all. There was a tightness in their chest that they couldn't place, and they felt altogether full and empty. Asriel pushed around the bulk of his mother and sat with Frisk on the ledge of the trail as his parents turned to join the rest of their kingdom.

"There, see? We all get or happy ending." he placed his hand on theirs. They looked at him, without a word.

"Don't give me that. Come on, you were all reassuring, and now you turn around and act like this? C'mon." he wiped at his eyes, "You're the hope of the underground."

"'mm a mess." Frisk shook their head, "You're the hope."

"If you're not the hope, then I'm not." Asriel said sternly, squeezing Frisk's hand. They laughed.

"Not true," they insisted, "They need you."

Asriel frowned and turned away, gazing out to the sunrise. He tugged at the chain around his neck, pulling out his heart-shaped locket.

"There will always be people out there who love you," he said, facing them again with a new certainty, "And I think that's more useful than being useful will ever be. You don't have to be needed to be loved."

Frisk blinked away tears. Asriel broke into a grin, hiding his face with the sunlight as he began crying, too. Frisk followed his line of sight and looked to the horizon, leaning against him.

Whatever happened next, good or bad, they were going to face it. And they weren't alone.


	19. Loose ends

"You have community service in an hour, Frisk." Asgore said over his laptop as Frisk came rushing through the door. They swung their backpack off their arm, and lurched forward as Asriel bumped into them.

"I almost beat you that time!" Asriel exclaimed, huffing and puffing to catch his breath. Frisk nodded, breathing hard; it was a formidable attempt, but approximate years of running from Undyne had still given them a significant upper hand.

"Have time first." Frisk switched their attention to Asgore as they pulled their boots off. Snow sifted off of their jacket.

"Of course," Asgore chuckled "Now please, close the door." Asriel shut the door obediently, blocking off the cold winds that came through.

"Where's mom?" he asked, hanging up his jacket. 

"In the sewing room. Tell her to come down for dinner, please." Asgore answered. Asriel exchanged a glance with Frisk.

"I'll race you." he challenged. Frisk accepted, prepared.

"Ready..." Asriel lined up with them, determination shining in his eyes, "Go!" and he sped forward.

"Cheater!" Frisk gasped, bolting forward to catch up with him. He cackled in the distance, already up the flight of stairs. By the time Frisk caught up, he was in the sewing room, staring over his mother's shoulder in wonder.

Toriel was working on a dummy for Chara's soul to inhabit. She hadn't been able to start as soon as they got out of the underground, but she put herself to work as fast as she could, starting from scratch to build up the perfect mannequin between her teaching job. It was almost lifelike, with separate fingers, and eyebrows, and creases in the edges of the mouth. The eyes were made of a deep brown cloth. They shone red under the work lamp.

"It looks just like them, Ma." Asriel said, hugging her arm. Toriel put down the sewing needle, smiling.

"Thank you, Asriel." she took off her glasses, wiping her brow, "Have you two greeted them yet? I did not raise you to be rude to one another." 

"Hi Chara!" Asriel waved at the case that stood in the corner of the room, containing Chara's soul. It shone warmly, more so in the childrens' presences. Frisk waved too. Sometimes, Frisk's link to Chara held up, and they could hear faint whispers of 'hello's and 'thank you's and 'love you's- and every time they came home, they were sure to be met with a affectionate aura.

"Mom, dad says come down for dinner." Asriel told her. Toriel looked startled, checking her watch.

"Oh dear, I should be heading home anyways," she swiped some of the sewing supplies hastily into her bag, but paused when Asriel sent her puppy eyes, "Alright, alright, I will eat with you." she smiled. Asriel shot a grin at Frisk. Frisk grinned back.

***

"Picking up trash, trash?" Frisk straightened up after putting a plastic cup into their bag. Zachary was standing on the opposite side of this school's fence, nose wrinkled, wearing a hoodie.

"Dude, what the heck?" beside him stood a boy his age, with bushy black hair and a surprised glare. Frisk tilted their head.

"Hi, I'm Levi. You're Frisk, right?" Frisk nodded, "That's really cool, I've heard a lot about you." Frisk shrugged, embarrassed. Anyways, they weren't supposed to be standing and taking compliments; they had community service to take care of.

"I don't see what's so cool." Zachary grumbled, clearly prepared to leave- which Frisk was totally okay with.

"Dude, you kidding? They're the savior of monsters!" Levi punched Zach softly, causing Zach to rub his shoulder and pull the strings of his hood tighter around his neck.

"Don't mind him," Levi grimaced, "He's just mad 'cause his mom made him move to that new human-monster school."

Frisk thought on this, then pointed to Levi questioningly.

"Oh, I'd love to go- be in Zach's school and meet monsters- but the school isn't near my neighborhood." he sighed. Zachary tugged at his sleeve.

"Come on, let's go watch Mew Mew. This is boring." he grunted. Levi glanced at Frisk apologetically, but their face was one of surprise and excitement rather than anger. They watched Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?

"Know monsters you'd like to meet." Frisk pointed at Levi, knowing full well that Zach wasn't ready to meet any monsters. While Zach's eyes narrowed, Levi's practically lit up.

"That would be so awesome," he stated, before Zach tugged on his shirt again, "Come here after school tomorrow, okay?" Frisk nodded, waving them off.

Frisk had recently learned that a lot of their hate for Zachary stemmed from Chara; now, Frisk had realized a new hope for him. Not to say that Frisk would ever forgive him; but rather, that Levi could help him accept them.

"Who was that?!" Papyrus came jogging up behind them, two bags in one hand and Sans under the other.

"Nobody." Frisk shrugged. 

"More voices in your head? Get some help, kid." Sans chuckled. Frisk laughed nervously; Sans' jokes never quite landed right between them, now that their memories were complete and everything felt awkward. At the very least, Frisk had appreciated Sans' honesty in the past months. He was taking therapy. Actually, a lot of monsters were.

"Well, that looks like some fine work! We came to say that your hours are up, and we wanted to invite you over for dinner!" Papyrus offered. Frisk looked over to Sans, who nodded lightly. Even then, they couldn't accept.

"Going to Alphys'." they explained apologetically.

"I see! Well, have fun then!" Papyrus held out his hand and took Frisk's garbage from them.

***

"She's at the gym, p-probably p-punching things." Alphys held a hand to her cheek in a concerned manner, legs scrunched up in the groove of her beanbag chair. Frisk creased their brows.

"Sorry." they said.

"You d-don't have to keep s-saying that," Alphys smiled, "Not to me, at l-least."

"Hurt you just as much." Frisk insisted. Alphys sighed.

"I do w-worry about h-her though. I don't think she's as m-mad at y-you as she is at h-herself," Alphys said, "What if she gets h-hurt?"

Undyne wasn't exactly careful, but Frisk knew she wouldn't put herself in harms way if she knew how much she was stressing Alphys out.

"Talk to her." Frisk advised, in the most sincere tone imaginable. More and more was worked out though talking over months, like the slow current of thick mud. It was tough, it was confusing, it was tear-inducing; but it eventually met its end-goal. Alphys and Undyne had their problems- everyone had their problems- but if anyone could work problems out, it was that duo. 

Alphys wiped under her glasses. Frisk opened their arms up, waiting.

"Yeah." Alphys nodded, and Frisk wrapped her in a tight hug. When they let go, Alphys looked more sure.

"I'll t-talk to h-her-" she assured, moving to pick up the remote with a new-found excitement "but we can't t-talk if we want to w-watch-" She turned on the TV, 

"Mew Mew Kissy Cutie!" the two sang in unison, then burst into giggles. Frisk picked up their cup of ramen and settled deeper into the beanbag chair, content to be swept away by the magic of a cat girl in a fancified school-girl uniform.

Everything would be worked out, but there was no reason to worry now. They could enjoy a moment of peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter long overdue!   
I'm not going to lie, this isn't my best piece of work- but at the time of writing this, it's my only finished chaptered work (and it's almost novella-length??). I'm really happy with the storyline, and I hope you all enjoyed it too!
> 
> That's all, folks!


End file.
